The Voyages of the USS Washington
by Erisid
Summary: Star Trek AU. Lexa is the captain of the USS Washington, and with a success rate of 90%, her life as an single woman is fantastic. Life for Lexa is uncomplicated. Clarke however, is a new level of complicated that Lexa never wanted but now cannot stop thinking about.
1. Chapter 1

Lexa's heart was pounding against her chest as she ran. Her long legs carried her away from the angry horde of Klingons only lengths away from clipping her heels. Next to her was her chief linguistics officer, Anya, the two of them currently racing for their lives.

"Indra, beam us up!" Lexa shouted into her comm, looking over her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she saw the shot blast from one of their weapons, and just narrowly avoided it as she ducked. She let out a hiss of pain as a blade of grass whipped her cheek, leaving a brilliant red gash along the side of her face.

"It's hard to do that when you're moving!" Indra retorted, a hint of impatience in her tone. Even so, Lexa knew she was really only arguing for the sake of doing so. There was also the issue that Indra had disagreed with the prime directive that had landed them on Kronos in the first place. The prime directive to gather intelligence on Klingon intentions with a planet in neutral territory was what resulted in Lexa's current predicament. Being chased by angry, homicidal Klingon warriors down a winding forest was, rather unsurprisingly, not even on the list of one hundred things to do before she died. Then again, this might be the last thing she'd do _before_ she dies, so it is decidedly on the list of things that will kill her. But if so, she might want to kill Indra before she goes out.

"Indra, for God's sake I will kick your ass if you don't beam us up right now!" Lexa shouted as she pelted through the undergrowth. She was about to take her next step when she felt herself being transported, that familiar beaming effect that she had since grown accustomed to in her years as a member of Starfleet.

She landed hard on the pad, falling flat on her stomach with an audible groan. Next to her, Anya collapsed onto the pad, looking every bit as disheveled as Lexa felt. A hand suddenly came into her line of sight, and she looked up to meet the teasing stare of her first officer.

"Have a nice workout?" Lincoln asked with a grin. Lexa took his offered assistance, standing on tired legs, resting her hands on her knees as she took in a few deep breaths.

"We got what we came for." Lexa answered in lieu of an answer, brushing off some of the dirt and grime she had managed to collect on her dark black shirt. Lincoln laughed and patted her roughly on the back.

"Yeah, at the expense of my ass!" Anya protested as she rubbed her cramping backside. The lieutenant stood carefully, a hand still pressed against her aching rear.

"It's not my fault you don't run often enough." Lexa laughed before straightening up to her full height. She cut an imposing figure, despite only being of average height. Her inquisitive, intelligent green eyes examined the rest of the room before starting to make her way out to the hall, leaving Anya and Lincoln to scramble after her.

They just managed to catch her as she was boarding the elevator, barely pushing in after her before the doors closed. When the doors opened again, Lexa stepped out confidently.

"Captain on the bridge!" Gustus called as Lexa quickly seated herself at her chair. With practiced ease, Lexa flipped on the intercom to contact her chief engineer down at the warp core.

"Indra, status?" Lexa asked.

"Engines are fully functioning, we are clear." Indra responded immediately.

"Good, let's get the hell out of here." Lexa ordered. "Echo, if you will do the honors." Echo nodded from her position at the helm.

"Going into warp in three, two." Conn officer Echo applied pressure to the lever, and with the all-too familiar jolt, the starship fled neutral space in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Lexa Woods had been in command of the USS Washington for four years now. Assigned to the starship upon graduation at the rank of Captain, Lexa had since been involved in various engagements with planets not yet aligned to the Federation as a negotiator. With her loyal crew at her side, Lexa had often met success in the missions assigned to her by Starfleet. As a 25 year-old captain, it was unheard of to achieve the successes that she had. Lexa had often cited blind luck and a brave crew as the reason for such achievements, she knew what pride could do to some people.

Now, after a ten-month long mission in gathering intel in Klingon territory, it was time to report back to Starfleet HQ. It was also about time that she returned to Earth. As much as she did not like admitting it to anyone, Lexa had missed seeing her home planet. Not that she had much to return to though. In fact, she expected a boring three weeks of leave.

She had neither a significant other nor a family that she wanted to see. Her family really was the cause for multiple migraines, so really she was going to avoid having to visit as much as she could. The worst was her father; a former officer of Starfleet who was decorated and considered a living legend, he expected much of Lexa, and that sort of pressure did not bode well for peaceful family dinners.

The sounds of the Washington attaching its lines to the landing strip were like the chiming of a death sentence to Lexa, and she stifled a groan as she stood from the Captain's chair, stretching her arms out before moving to the lift.

Lincoln was walking next to her as they made their way down to the awaiting shuttles. He brushed some lint off of his red shirt, looking every bit as excited to be back as she was not.

"Octavia's going to have a fit when she sees this." Lincoln said eagerly as he brushed at the uniform. Lexa chuckled.

"Won't she be excited about your promotion?" Lexa asked, raising an eyebrow. They filed into the shuttle, buckling up.

"Well of course," Lincoln started as he settled in comfortably into his seat. "But she's still a lieutenant, not a lieutenant _commander_." He said proudly, puffing out his chest.

Lexa rolled her eyes, but patted him on the shoulder. "This promotion competition you've been having with her since the Academy really never made sense to me, but to each relationship their own."

"Please, like you haven't had those sorts of friendly competition." Science officer Costia Green took a seat on Lexa's left, claiming the only other unoccupied spot on the quickly filling shuttle. "Or have you forgotten the shaving cream incident?" Costia put a teasing hand on Lexa's shoulder.

Lincoln, from Lexa's right side, laughed. "Oh yeah, I remember that one quite well." Lexa turned her icy glare on him, and he just grinned. "Please, that hasn't worked on me since graduation!"

Lexa glared at him before turning her head to Costia. "I told you to never bring that up again." She reprimanded her other crew member.

Costia, for her part, put both hands up. "Okay okay, I'm just saying, this sort of thing isn't completely beneath you, oh mighty Captain Woods."

"Oh shut up." Lexa grunted, crossing her legs. The remainder of the flight was spent with Lexa pointedly ignoring both of them, pretending to be engrossed by the reports she was reading from her information tablet.

* * *

She was sitting alone later that night. Lexa fiddled with her scotch, staring into the depths of her drink with disinterest. The bar was buzzing with some minor activity, but Lexa wasn't feeling particularly interested. Her cheek also was stinging from that ridiculously sharp blade of grass, the gash covered with gauze taped over her cheekbone. The pinching of the bandage just added to her otherwise depressed mood at being back on Earth.

The bartender strolled over to her and refilled her tumbler without her asking. This was the third time he'd done that tonight. Lexa simply nodded to him before taking a healthy swig.

"I don't want to talk Finn, I'm done talking." The words seemed to wrap around Lexa's head, and within seconds she saw a young blonde-haired woman walk over to the bar, a floppy-haired man in tow.

The two newcomers occupied the stools to Lexa's immediate right, and she groaned inwardly. She did not come here to listen to a couple argue while she was enjoying her down time. The blonde looked up and met her eyes briefly, and Lexa was surprised by the woman's angry blue gaze. Lexa blinked quickly and looked away, sipping on her scotch.

For the next few minutes, she tried to ignore their hushed conversation. It started being difficult when the man began to raise his voice, the anger and despair evident in his tone.

"How many times do I have to say sorry?" The man asked, a fist hitting the bar top in frustration. The woman simply turned away from him. She was facing away from him, trying her best to pointedly ignore his attempts to talk to her. Meanwhile, the man seemed to get increasingly angry and desperate.

"I told you already. Stop wasting your time and leave me alone."

"No, just, listen to me okay?" The man named Finn went to grab the woman on the arm, and just as his hand was about to close around her wrist, there was a flash of movement and suddenly there was pain shooting up his entire arm as it was twisted behind his back with considerable strength.

"Leave. Me. Alone." The woman hissed through clenched teeth as she held his arm behind his back. In the few seconds, she had leapt from her seat and had avoided his aggressive actions, pushing him against the bar. When Finn nodded, his eyes closed in pain, the blonde released his arm and shoved him away from the bar.

Lexa, from her seat, watched the entire situation with wide eyes. The woman watched Finn's retreating back, and once he pushed open the doors of the bar and disappeared from view, she picked up the stool that had been knocked over in her frenzy, and after righting it, sat down with her head in her hands. Lexa caught the attention of the bartender then, signaling for him to bring a second glass.

Once he had poured an identical glass of scotch, Lexa took the drink and sent it sliding toward the blonde woman. It nudged her elbow as it slid to its intended location, and the woman removed her hands to look at the drink. She then met Lexa's eyes.

"You look like you need it." Lexa explained simply. The woman's blue eyes twinkled slightly, and she gave Lexa a cautious smile.

"Thanks." She said, before taking the glass in her hands and sipping slowly.

Lexa looked away, giving the woman some needed quiet, choosing instead to look up at the television screen mounted on the wall in front of her. She wasn't really paying attention to the match when the woman cleared her throat. Lexa tore her gaze away to give the woman her attention.

"My name's Clarke." The blonde started tentatively. She reached out a pale hand across the bar. Lexa took it in her own calloused palm.

"Lexa." She responded, squeezing gently before releasing the other woman's hand. Lexa tipped back her glass, finishing off her third scotch of the night and ordering another.

They sat there in silence, and with no other words passed between them, Clarke downed the scotch in one gulp. Wordlessly, Clarke also ordered a shot of tequila, which she took quickly and without much fuss. The brunette did not speak, instead watching as Clarke downed shot after shot. By the tenth, Lexa, impressed, made a hum of approval.

"I'm not just a pretty face, Lexa." Clarke said as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. At this point, Lexa was starting to feel that typical buzz that appeared after the alcohol started to settle into her system.

"I never assumed that." Lexa assured her even as she flagged down the bartender for something a bit stronger than what they had already been having.

"Really? I saw your wide eyes when I put Finn in an arm lock." Clarke countered. Lexa grinned at her comment.

"It's not every day that you see a big guy get put down so easily." Lexa explained. Clarke seemed to like her explanation as she smirked and lifted her glass in Lexa's direction. The brunette picked up her own glass to meet Clarke's, the clink only barely heard amidst the loud noises coming from the other side of the bar.

"So Lexa, what do you do for a living?" Clarke asked casually, propping up her chin with a hand.

"I'm an officer with Starfleet." Lexa answered. Clarke's eyes widened in surprise.

"Which starship?" She asked. Lexa raised an eyebrow. Civilians were not typically so interested in the specifics.

"The Washington." At her words, Clarke's appearance took on a myriad of emotions –surprise, admiration, and disbelief among them.

"You're Lincoln Strong's captain?" Clarke asked.

"Yes." Lexa answered carefully. She frowned at Clarke. "How do you know Lieutenant Commander Strong?"

"He's my best friend's husband!" Clarke explained. "And his wife also happens to be my newly promoted first officer." Lexa's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair, her high forehead displaying all sorts of shock.

"Wait, which ship do you have?" Lexa asked.

"The USS Ark." Lexa blew air from her lips noisily once she heard those words leave Clarke's mouth. She thought she had looked familiar. She must have seen her at an officers' briefing once at headquarters.

"So you're the famous Griffin we keep hearing about." She said, taking a swig from her tumbler.

"Famous, huh?" Clarke repeated, a playful glint in her eyes. The alcohol was starting to really affect Lexa now, because her smile now came a lot easier.

"Your actions against the Romulans was the buzz of the ship last month." Lexa said approvingly. Clarke smiled and shyly looked down at the bar top before meeting Lexa's green gaze.

"Please, it hardly compares to what I heard from Lincoln. You're Captain Woods. You went down into Klingon territory to retrieve intel that other captains simply wouldn't have the balls to do."

Lexa laughed, shaking her head at Clarke's praise.

"Really, it's all part of the job. We're captains, we _have_ to have the balls for it." Lexa smiled, and Clarke returned the gesture.

Lexa stretched out her hand to take the shot of tequila the bartender set in front of them. Clarke took the shot glass Lexa offered her, and the two held it before their own lips. Rather dimly, Lexa noticed Clarke shifting closer to her, their shoulders almost brushing.

"To the success of our missions then, past, present, and future." Lexa stated, and with that toast they both threw back their glasses. Lexa put her shot glass back on the table, and she smirked as Clarke forcefully placed her own glass down, wiping her mouth and fixing Lexa with an intense gaze.

"So, Captain Woods, wanna get out of here?" A voice in the deep recesses of Lexa's mind immediately raised up in protest, but in her near drunk state and being in the presence of this incredible woman in front of her, any and all voices of reason were thoroughly ignored.


	2. Chapter 2

They sat, huddled tightly next to each other despite the warm breeze that blew across the ocean and towards them. Lexa grinned, her eyes glistening with amusement as she faced Clarke. The two women had been sitting out here for a few hours now, long enough that they had tracked the moon's position on this cloudless, clear night. Their hands were currently occupied, tied in a thrilling thumb wrestling match, the sounds of their laughter and giggles echoing across the empty beach.

"So how long were you with Finn?" Lexa asked after winning their third match, thereby claiming the right to ask any question that came to mind.

"Five months." Clarke answered easily as if that fact had been at the tip of her tongue all night, waiting to reveal itself. "But it turns out he was with another girl too." Lexa winced, and Clarke shook her head. "No don't, it turned out alright, because the other girl is a skilled engineer with Starfleet too, and we get along rather swimmingly. She's my chief officer on the Ark now."

"Whoa, way to turn that around." Lexa mused. Then her features took on a shit-eating grin. "Did you turn her around a few times too?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Clarke gave her a half-hearted glare.

"You're a jerk." Clarke commented, but after a pause, she said "A few times." Lexa chuckled heartily, her shoulders shaking.

"How about you?" Clarke asked. "Any ex's on your ship or in Starfleet?"

"Nope." Lexa smiled at Clarke. Her jaw seemed to wag at its own accord this night, spilling all of the facts of her life unabashedly to this women that she had just met. "I've always focused on my career, on the notion of going to deep space. And you obviously are interested in space too, its just a different kind."

"Really?" Clarke raised an eyebrow, and Lexa smirked.

"Yeah, the space between your thighs." Lexa quipped.

Clarke reached out and poked Lexa in the ribs with her free hand, eliciting an involuntary laugh that the brunette attempted to turn into a grunt. Lexa instantly grabbed Clarke's hand by the wrist, pulling it away from her side. The blonde gasped at both the revelation and the contact.

"You're ticklish!" She announced rather gleefully, her blue eyes alight with mischief.

"Don't even try." Lexa warned her, instantly wearing her intimidating glare. That did little to dissuade the other woman. Instead, it seemed to spur her on, as Clarke released Lexa's other hand, the thumb wrestling match suddenly abandoned.

Before she could use both hands to tickle along her sides, Lexa tackled her, pinning her down in a mad, giggling mess on the sand. Clarke put up quite the struggle, her legs flailing while an arm was thrown out to wrap around Lexa's waist, keeping the brunette close.

The warm embrace brought them within dangerously close proximity, and suddenly Lexa was aware of exactly how close they were. She could see the tiny specks of light blue within Clarke's eyes, could count each freckle on the bridge of her nose, on her cheekbones.

Clarke inhaled bodily, and Lexa felt her chest press up against her, their breasts touching. In that moment Lexa began to feel a heat flush through her body, a desire fostered by a variation of affection and fondness for this fierce and strong woman. She was an inferno, blazing glorious before mere mortals who parted and burned under her gaze. It was bearing the weight of her gaze that Lexa was thus challenged in a game of wits.

"Do you know any poetry, Captain Woods?" Clarke queried, her eyes crinkling at the sides as she squinted at the woman lying bodily on top of her.

Lexa frowned at her, and considered her options that this moment. Finally, as it seemed that the alcohol had loosened her tongue, Lexa made a decision. "What makes you think that it's the poetry you would want?"

Clarke batted her eyelashes mockingly as she met Lexa's serious stare. "People will always surprise you." Something snapped within the fiber of Lexa's being, an urgency. Before she could think, words appeared from her lips.

"I dream one night, that you and I are two plants, that grew together, roots entwined, that you would know the earth and rain like my mouth." Clarke's face lit up, a shy smile assuming her visage.

"See, surprise." She remarked, shifting closer to Lexa. Their lips were a hair's breadth apart, and Lexa could hardly breathe at the pregnant pause that materialized in the air about them. "Who is that?"

"Neruda." Lexa whispered, soft and low.

Foreheads touching, it was Clarke that took that bold step, but not in the direction Lexa expected. Before she could even react, Lexa found herself flat on her back, Clarke rolling on top of her, their positions now reversed. She felt the air around them heavy with abated breath, seconds becoming hours as they simply looked into each other's eyes.

It was gentle at first, and Lexa almost did not feel the brush of Clarke's soft lips against hers. Lexa responded with equal caution, only moving as far as Clarke was comfortable. Yet her patience was quickly rewarded when she felt Clarke's hands at her waist, squirming under the hem of her shirt, fingers eager to map the skin below.

Lexa took Clarke's bottom lip between her teeth teasingly, and as she felt the other woman's tongue requesting entry, Lexa obliged to grant it to her.

Under the glow of the pale moonlight, Lexa kissed her with the sand against her back and the stars shining over their entwined forms.

* * *

She was engulfed in flames, fire surrounding her at all sides. Her hands reached out along the ground as she tried to find a way out, desperate to get out of the heat.

"Lexa!" She turned to the source of the voice, neck craning as she searched for the owner. Then she was standing directly before her, and Lexa felt fear tingling up her spine.

Arms locked around her waist, dragging her into the fire, and she felt her skin deteriorating rapidly as the flames licked at her body.

Lexa jolted awake, her eyes wide. Then she let out a groan, covering her eyes with a forearm as sunlight bore down on her swiftly. Her head was pounding with the most painful headache that she had ever experienced in her 25 years of life. It was a jack hammer, digging its way forcefully into her temple. She closed her eyes as she slowly adjusted, and the horrors of her nightmare remained.

She felt a shift, and was suddenly unaware of where she was. She placed her palms flat on the surface she was lying on. A mattress. But not hers by the softness of it, of the silky sheets under her palms. Then she felt the mattress move again ever so slightly, and she opened her eyes.

She saw a beige ceiling directly above her, and as she turned her head to the left, there were floor-to-ceiling windows eagerly displaying a brilliant morning sun over the San Francisco skyline. So she was in someone's apartment. Slowly, Lexa turned her head to the right side of the mattress, and saw a figure slumped there. A bare shoulder peaked out from the sheets, a mop of messy blonde hair resting haphazardly on the pillow. The woman turned in her sleep, and then Lexa caught sight of her face.

 _Clarke_

Instantly memories of last night flooded into her mind, sobering memories that brought her to full alertness. Lexa was unsure of what to do. She had not experienced the morning after situation for a long time now. Her last one night stand had been two years ago. Admittedly, a very long time ago. She was still trying to decide what to do when the bed dipped slightly, and suddenly a pale arm stretched out in her direction.

Lexa scrambled as discreetly as she could to avoid it, but then the other woman rolled over to her completely, and Lexa was met with a strong arm at her waist and a cheek pressed against her shoulder. Internally, Lexa was in a panic; she was never one to stay after casual sex. In fact, her spending the night was already very unusual to begin with. Yet now she was in her current peculiar predicament, cuddling against her will with a beautiful blonde.

Lexa was lying on her back, still trying to figure out how to disentangle herself from the blonde when she finally woke.

Clarke snuggled in to Lexa's side at first, then the brunette saw her eyes open slowly. She seemed to be just as shocked by this development as Lexa, because she jerked away to the other side of the bed, as if stung.

Even as she was glad that there was some distance between them, Lexa had to push down that twinge of disappointment at the loss of contact.

Clarke, on her side of the mattress, put a hand up to her forehead and let out a low moan. "What happened last night?" She asked as she rubbed her temple.

"Well it seems that you brought me home last night." Lexa stated rather bluntly. She deliberated, and pushed the sheets off of her chest, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"Oh God I never drink that much." Clarke groaned behind Lexa, who paid her no mind as she pushed onto unsteady legs.

In the morning light, Lexa searched for her clothes as efficiently as possible, and Clarke noticed.

"Are you leaving?" Lexa did not face her, choosing instead to find her other sock in her pile of clothes.

"Unfortunately" Lexa answered casually. "I probably should go visit my sister and her family. Plus I'm not good at pillow talk...or have the awkward morning conversation." She added.

The other woman was silent as Lexa's hands reached to pull her shirt from under the nightstand, and she started searching for something to keep this captivating woman just a while longer. "You're missing out. Have you never had morning sex?" Clarke asked, and Lexa finally turned to look her in the eye.

"Sadly, I've never had that privilege." As those words left her mouth, with the sunlight streaming through the window, Lexa was mesmerized by Clarke's beauty. The slope of her jaw, the curve of her waist as she pushed off of the bed, sheets revealing her in all her naked glory as she walked up to Lexa.

"Well then maybe," The blonde stepped close to her, their noses brushing. "Maybe you should stay a little while longer." Clarke's hands drifted to her waist, fingers outlining the hard muscle there, leaving a trail of desire as she made her way to Lexa's chest, palms flat above the swell of her breasts.

Lexa's mouth was dry, her body responding to those gentle touches. "I - who could refuse such an offer?" She managed to say.

Clarke smiled, and she took the shirt Lexa was holding in her own hands, abandoning it on the ground once more.

* * *

It was early afternoon when they finally stopped. They both collapsed onto the mattress, exhausted and breathing hard. Lexa's heart was pounding harder and faster than she had ever thought possible, the palpitations beating her ribcage violently. She had never been so thoroughly and vigorously satisfied before.

"Well then..." Clarke started, gasping for air as she lay on her back. "That was..."

For lack of any better word to describe it, Lexa said "Yea."

Clarke turned her head to her left to meet Lexa's eyes, and they held each other's gaze, their chests heaving from their strenuous activity. Then the corner of Lexa's mouth turned upwards, and Clarke returned the smile. Then Clarke released a soft peal of laughter. Despite her reservations, Lexa joined in her giggles, grinning widely as she chuckled.

"See what you were missing?" Clarke said between giggles. Lexa grinned at the blonde, her green eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Oohhh yes." Lexa laughed, and Clarke smirked and winked, turning on her side and throwing her hand over the brunette's waist. "God you're beautiful." Lexa said quietly as she took in the sight of Clarke's messy hair, splayed out like a mane, her bright blue eyes, the freckles on her face.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." Clarke whispered. Their voices were soft, discreet like they were sharing a secret.

Lexa did not bother answering that, electing to stay silent as Clarke rolled above her, straddling her waist. An elbow came to rest on either side of Lexa's head, and she could count each frown line on the blonde's forehead. Clarke dipped her chin, their lips meeting affectionately, softly. When Clarke pulled away slightly, she rested her forehead against Lexa's, sighing heavily.

"So much for visiting my sister." Lexa said finally, and Clarke laughed.

"When are you going back up to the Washington?" Clarke asked from her position above Lexa, her eyes searching for her answer.

"Not for three weeks." Lexa responded. She met Clarke's inquisitive blue gaze, a hand reaching up to curl a blonde lock away from her face. Clarke leaned into her touch, and Lexa craned her neck to brush her lips against Clarke's nose. Clarke's eyes fluttered closed as Lexa's lips worked their way to her cheekbones, to her eyebrows, to the corner of her mouth.

"Do you regret staying?" Clarke asked quietly as Lexa paused at her lips. She frowned in thought, but decided to answer as truthfully as possible.

"No." She responded, just as quietly. Clarke bent down to nudge her nose against Lexa's, their skin brushing lightly, and Lexa was compelled to say more. "I've always been accused of being emotionally unavailable."

"Are you?" Clarke asked, a hand coming up to stroke Lexa's cheek. Under her gentle touch, Lexa was powerless, and facts not often shared rose unbidden.

"Sometimes." Clarke kissed the tip of her nose at her response, and Lexa sighed. She was desperate to change the subject. "Are you on leave as well?" There was a flash of disappointment in Clarke's eyes that disappeared as quickly as it came, and Lexa had a feeling that her admission would be brought up, that she'd be called out on her shit, but just as Clarke had been surprising her last night, she failed to break the trend now, in broad daylight with the sheets barely covering her countenance.

"Affirmative, Woods." Clarke said in a serious voice, and Lexa cracked a grin. "I'm stuck here as long as you are." She cupped Lexa's cheek, feeling the warm skin under her fingers. "More than enough time for us to fool around."

Lexa chuckled, her eyes lighting up with mischief. "That sounds great."


	3. Chapter 3

"So tell me about your family." Clarke played with Lexa's fingers, manipulating them gently with her own.

As much as she would never openly admit it, being in the company of the blonde made Lexa feel like a teenager again, and she made her heart flutter unlike any other person she had ever met before. The two had spent most of their break together, with Clarke later making her acquaintance with Lexa's apartment. It was only fair after all, since Lexa had woken up in Clarke's after their first night together. They had fallen into a routine, a pattern together. As much as she liked it however, Lexa was unwilling to put a label on it, and from Clarke's lack of complaint, the blonde was likely of the same opinion.

Currently, they were sitting side-by-side at a busy diner in downtown San Francisco in the afternoon, catching a late brunch after an officers' briefing at Starfleet.

"My parents were both Starfleet officers in their day." Lexa started. She had one arm flung over the booth, Clarke leaning into her side. "Two sisters, older than me, not in Starfleet; Gina and Mary. Mary's my favorite."

"Was she the one you were planning to visit after our first hook up?" Clarke asked, resting her head on Lexa's shoulder comfortably as she sipped her coffee.

Lexa nodded, smiling as she thought of her sister. "Her kids really like me. Which I don't understand." Clarke raised a blonde eyebrow, and Lexa grinned. "I'm pretty awkward around them, not quite sure how to talk to them."

"How old are they?"

"Five and two, niece and nephew." Lexa said in a feigned resigned voice, and Clarke smiled sweetly.

"That sounds nice, having a niece and nephew to spoil." Lexa blew air from her lips noisily, and Clarke pinched her waist.

"Be nice." Clarke scolded her, and Lexa rolled her eyes.

"They're really loud." The brunette complained, and Clarke just shook her head, a grin wide on her features.

"And your father?" Clarke ventured, to which a sour expression immediately took form over Lexa's face.

"Admiral Alexander Woods IV." She snorted. Just the name of her father annoyed her. Clarke caught the tension at the edge of her words, placing a gentle hand to rub her thigh.

"I've heard of him." Clarke commented. "My mom was happy when he retired."

"Well she wasn't the only one." Lexa let out a soft chortle. "He was an overbearing asshole." Clarke batted her softly on the waist.

"He's still your father."

"Griffin."

"Lexa." Clarke fixed the brunette with a firm stare, and Lexa backed down, conceding to this fiery woman.

"Fine." She grunted, reaching one hand out to take a sip of her coffee. The blonde chuckled and rested her chin against Lexa's shoulder.

"My mom is like that." She said quietly, and Lexa listened. "She's a trauma surgeon. She wanted me to follow in her footsteps."

"What happened?" Lexa asked to hear the sound of Clarke's melodious voice, the sound that she had grown addicted to within the span of a few days.

"My dad died." Lexa was silent, choosing instead to rub Clarke's knuckles soothingly. "He was a chief engineer on the USS Kelvin, got sucked out into space."

They sat together, letting the information sink in. Then, "I'm quarter Vulcan." Clarke lifted her chin to sit up properly, to better scrutinize Lexa's straight face. She examined her features for a few heartbeats, then cracked a giant grin.

"Yup, I can totally see it." Lexa shoved Clarke's shoulder playfully, but that did not stop the blonde from continuing her thread of thought. "And the whole blunt attitude, the logical thing you have going on, it all makes sense." Clarke gestured to the entirety of the brunette with her hands, and Lexa laughed.

* * *

Clarke sat on Lexa's bed, watching the other woman collect some clothes and toiletries, throwing them in Clarke's direction. The blonde caught each item deftly and assembled them nicely into Lexa's duffle bag. The brunette ruffled inside the drawers in her closet, trying to search for her clean gold shirt. Meanwhile, Clarke entertained herself with the clear view of Lexa's backside.

"See, I already packed yesterday." Clarke commented loftily. Lexa muttered something unintelligible, and Clarke grinned. "What was that?"

"I said, that's because we stayed at your place, and I was the one who packed for you." Lexa called over her shoulder.

"Well, it was your fault you chose to spend the night." Clarke countered teasingly. With a low curse, Lexa finally fished her uniform out from other various articles of clothing. Not a wrinkle in sight, Lexa hummed in satisfaction and walked over to where Clarke waited with the bag on her lap.

"I wasn't the one who decided it was a good idea to cuddle post-coital." Lexa argued as she folded her shirt and, after carefully placing it in the bag, zipped it up.

"Ew stop, I told you not to use that word." Clarke cringed as Lexa took the bag from her and set it on the ground, before pulling Clarke to her feet. Lexa grinned and kissed Clarke on the forehead.

"Coit– " Lexa was cut off when Clarke planted her lips firmly against the brunette, pressing her body against Lexa. Her arms were around Lexa's waist, her hold tight. When they withdrew, Lexa let out a breathy laugh. "Now I know just what to say if I want to get laid."

"One more time, I swear I'll kill you." Clarke threatened her, and she took Lexa's bottom lip between her teeth, applying miniscule pressure before her tongue darted out to soothe it.

Lexa kissed Clarke heatedly, and then they were falling back onto the bed for the third time within the hour. Clarke pulled at Lexa's shirt, and it was thrown carelessly across the room, followed by everything else that was in the way. Hazily, Lexa recalled that they were both needed at the shuttles in an hour, but then Clarke's hands went to the waistband of her pants, and all her thoughts were only of the blonde and the pleasure that her fingers were producing.

* * *

She made her way over to the shuttle, climbing the stairs nimbly. The interior of the shuttle was already filling up very quickly, and she nodded to the members of her crew as she took her seat, tablet in hand. She just started reading a memo sent by one of the Rear Admirals when she heard her name.

"Captain Griffin!" First officer Octavia Blake made her way over to Clarke, rudely elbowing a few crew members aside as she rushed to claim the seat next to her captain. Clarke offered her an easy smile as the younger woman sat next to her.

"Lieutenant Blake, how was your break?" She asked, tablet abandoned on the unoccupied seat to her left. Clarke, in a sudden moment of remembrance, pulled the collar of her grey uniform to cover up the mark that Lexa had left mere hours ago. She almost blushed just thinking about it, but kept herself in check, especially with Octavia at her side.

"Lincoln got promoted!" Octavia announced, and there was a mixture of annoyance and pride in her green eyes. "First officer, just like me!"

"So you guys are tied now." Clarke concluded, and grinned. "Guess you're both at a stalemate." Octavia clenched her fists in frustration.

"Yup, which means you should promote me again during this mission." Clarke rolled her eyes, and instantly retrieved her tablet, crossing her legs.

"Octavia, you're a first officer already. Any higher and you'd have to bump me off or jump ship." She argued offhandedly as she continued reading the memo.

"Or you take a stable position on Earth." Octavia suggested. "Command from the command center."

"Wow what an idea." Clarke muttered noncommittally. Then a message notification popped up on the side of her screen, and she couldn't stifle the grin that split her face in an instant once she saw who had sent it.

"Who's Lexa?" Octavia read the name out over her shoulder, and Clarke jerked the tablet away from her subordinate's sight.

"No one." She said, locking the screen with her passcode. Octavia's eyebrows rose significantly at Clarke's actions, then she grinned.

"Did you meet someone during the break?" Octavia wiggled her eyebrows, and Clarke turned away to look out the shuttle window to avoid her gaze.

"No."

"Really?" Octavia crossed her arms, and Clarke kept her eyes fixed on the sky as the shuttle lifted off.

"Yup." She said, attempting to keep her voice steady.

"So you didn't meet a cute girl and do the dirty with her?"

"Lieutenant Blake!" Clarke scolded, deciding this was a fitting time to pull rank. "This is inappropriate behaviour, and such activities should not be discussed with your commanding officer." She sent her a glare with icy blue eyes, and the brunette cringed.

Octavia threw up both hands in surrender. "Alright fine!" She crossed her legs and sat back, settling into a more comfortable position.

Clarke sighed, and waited until Octavia dozed off before pulling up the message on her tablet. She was more than relieved that Octavia was unconscious at this moment. Lexa made her heart skip a beat, made her giggle, completely out of character from her stern captain's mask.

She closed her eyes, and the events of the past three weeks with the brunette swam through her mind as she dreamed.

* * *

"Anything exciting over the break?" Lincoln asked as he accompanied Lexa on her walk. They were both making their way to the bridge, their uniforms smelling clean and fresh.

"Not really." She said nonchalantly. Two red shirts saluted her and Lincoln as they hurried along their way, and she nodded to them.

"You look really well-rested." Lincoln remarked casually. "I'm not implying anything." He said quickly when Lexa gave him a glare.

"I did get a lot of rest." She conceded. "You forget how stressful it is to command a crew." Lincoln grinned and punched her shoulder lightly.

"Yes I do, I remember when you didn't have so many frown lines."

"I'll remind you that most of these wrinkles are because of your reckless actions." She intoned as they boarded the elevator. Once the doors closed Lincoln turned to her.

"God I keep forgetting that you're part Vulcan." He complained, and Lexa smirked. The doors opened, and she strode out and towards the Captain's chair.

"Captain on the bridge." Gustus called, and Lexa nodded to him.

"Thank you Mr. Kenilworth." She sat down, and instantly the familiar structure of the chair had her enthused for their mission. Lexa flipped one of the comm switches. "Indra, how are we doing?"

"Captain, we're looking good down here." Indra reported from her comm. "Purring like a kitten."

"Colorful simile, and very unlike you." Lexa joked, grinning widely. Lincoln, from where he was talking to Echo at the helm, turned to frown at Lexa. It was remarkably out of character for her to fib or joke, and she knew he would call her out on it later. She sent him a censoring glare, before speaking. "Ms. Frost, if you would take us out."

Echo hid her grin, and instead settled on: "Affirmative captain."

Once they were in warp, Lexa switched on the comm to contact her crew. "This is the captain speaking. Our mission at this current time is to visit the planet system of the Andorian Empire. A member of Starfleet is currently being detained for petty crimes. Our mandate is to barter for their transfer to our hands so that they can face justice on Earth. Lieutenant Anya Arlington and I shall be meeting with Andorian representatives on the moon Andoria. ETA should be within hours." Lexa cut the communication line and sat back.

Lincoln walked over to her chair and she refused to meet his doe-eyed stare. "So are you sure nothing exciting happened?" He asked tentatively. "Or, someone's cloned you, or that you have a happy identical twin that you've hidden from everyone?"

"Cut the crap Lincoln." She snapped. "You're just building up to ask if I got laid."

"Well did you?" Lincoln asked, and he almost flinched under her harsh glare. However, the firm line of her lips gave her away pretty easily to her best friend. He clapped his hands together and let out a howl of laughter, catching the attention of all other personnel on the bridge.

"Shut up before I cut out your tongue." She snarled, and he wiped away a few tears. Lexa crossed her legs and pulled on a cold mask over her face, attempting to remain as nonplussed as possible. When he managed to compose himself, he looked down at her.

"So, who is she? Someone we know?" Lexa put one hand up in the universal stop signal, and Lincoln immediately closed his mouth.

"She's…a Starfleet officer." She said quietly. "And I'm not going to tell you who it is, so stop asking." Lincoln held his tongue, but the shit-eating grin on his face was certainly something Lexa wanted to punch.

"This is just great." He said excitedly, and at that instant she stood from her chair and was nose-to-nose with him, staring him down as one would an unruly yearling.

"A word of this to anyone else, and that thing that defines you as a man will be woefully missing from your person." She growled low, her eyes narrowed warningly. Lincoln swallowed and nodded, and with a huff, she sat down again.

"Whoa what's going on here?" Anya seemed to materialize out of thin air at Lexa's shoulder, and the younger woman craned her neck to answer her.

"My first officer and I had a simple disagreement." Lexa stated calmly. "Relatively minor dispute." She added brusquely. The corner of Anya's mouth twitched, but the otherwise reserved officer nodded at her captain's words.

"You're the boss." Anya acknowledged, dipping her head slightly. "We're almost at Andoria." She informed Lexa, and the captain nodded.

"Good." Lexa stood and cracked her neck. "Let's get ready to meet the Andorian representatives. Lincoln, you've got the bridge."


	4. Chapter 4

"As a representative of my people, we Andorians welcome you to the moon of Andoria, it is a pleasure to finally meet the famed Captain Woods." Ambassador San bowed his blue head respectively, an action that Lexa mimicked deftly.

"Thank you Ambassador San, I assure you we will only be here for as long as this matter takes to be resolved. We'll be out of your hair soon after." She informed him, her voice clipped and polite. The Andorian nodded, the curve of a smile on his face. She never thought such a feat were possible. Then again, this race was much more emotional and passionate than her grandmother's. And more blue.

"Excellent, I cannot wait." He said civilly, the barb only thinly veiled. Anya exchanged a glance with Lexa, who shook her head discreetly at her lieutenant. "Please, if you would follow me." San began walking down the landing strip, and Lexa gestured for Anya to bring up the rear.

Lexa scanned the strip with interest, and warily noted the armed guards eyeing them. It was a diplomatic mission, but there wasn't a time when the Andorians were not distrustful and disdainful of humans. This was just one example of the tensions between their races, despite the attempts to change the nature of their relationship. Luckily though, their relationship was not nearly as storied as that of the Vulcans and the Andorians. Better that Lexa's lineage was not well known, especially here.

Anya drew closer to Lexa's shoulder. "They look ready for a dust up." She hissed, and Lexa shrugged off the concern. It was in this instance that Lexa was reminded that Anya was much less composed and instinctual in the world of politics and niceties. Lexa on the other hand, had developed a cool façade over years of living with a cold, disapproving father. This guise was something she wore on Sunday dinners back on Earth, and something that wasn't too difficult to slip back into.

"Keep your calm." Lexa gritted through her teeth as San led them down to a passenger shuttle. The two Starfleet officers sat on the bench across from the Andorian, who gave them a polite smile. Lexa returned the gesture to diffuse any tension between the three of them. Her phaser was a comfortable weight at her hip, and Lexa kept her restless legs steady.

Lexa looked out the cockpit with mild interest as the shuttle led them below the moon's surface, revealing a city of grey and dark white, Andorian citizens milling about in the streets.

Once they arrived at the Parliament building, San led the way up the stairs and through elegant, giant double doors. The heels of Lexa and Anya's Starfleet-issued boots clicked loudly on the stone floor as they were directed through two hallways and into a wide room with a high ceiling. They stuck out like sore thumbs, with their gold and red uniforms respectively. All other life forms were dressed in flowing robes of pastel colors.

Then their guide stopped before an arch, and bowed to the individuals inside before gesturing for Lexa and Anya to enter. Inside, there were ten Andorian officials, whose antennae all turned when Lexa and Anya entered. One of the Andorians rose from his seat at the head of the room and strode over to them with purpose.

"Captain Woods, welcome to Andoria. I am Chancellor Tem." He announced proudly as he stood tall and powerful before her. Lexa bowed her head respectfully to him, mindful of the dossier she had read prior to beaming down to the surface.

"Thank you Chancellor." She responded cordially, and the Chancellor seemed to approve of her polite attitude. "This is Lieutenant Arlington." She nodded towards Anya, who also bowed her head.

"Welcome Lieutenant," Tem said with a twitch of his antenna. "It is a great relief that all other members of Starfleet are much more polite than that scoundrel we are currently holding."

Lexa hardly reacted to the jibe, only plastering a cordial smile. "Well, then it should not be too much of a struggle to take him off your hands then." The Andorians in the room chuckled, and Anya shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Captain, as much as I fib, I would prefer the prisoner is kept here so that we can administer Andorian justice." Tem stated. Lexa narrowed her eyes at his words.

"That will not be necessary Chancellor, all due respect. He is a member of Starfleet and of Earth, any crimes he has committed here will not go unpunished on his home planet, this I assure you." Lexa countered diplomatically.

"As comforting as that sounds, we cannot allow you to take him away." Tem stated firmly. Lexa bristled, her jaw clenched.

"And why is that?" She growled low and threatening.

"One of our citizens has invoked the right of Ushaan against your officer." Anya, from Lexa's side, frowned in confusion. Lexa however, was panicking internally.

"For what reason?" She countered. "I heard that he had only committed a petty crime." Her spine was ramrod-straight, tense and infuriated at being blindsided.

"He intervened during a domestic dispute." Tem explained. "The male in the relationship considers his honor besmirched."

Lexa's hands clenched into fists at her side, her nostrils flaring. She closed her eyes briefly in thought, and when she opened them she met Tem's smug gaze.

"What's Ushaan?" Anya asked under her breath from Lexa's left shoulder. The younger woman, under her breath, growled. "Duel to the death."

"And you would do wise to know that unless there be a legitimate reason as pertaining to the code, nothing will postpone nor cancel the Ushaan." Tem added. The Starfleet captain shifted from one foot to the other, thoughts racing rapidly within her mind.

"When is this duel expected to take place?" Lexa asked shortly, her voice resigned.

"Tomorrow evening." Lexa frowned. That gave her very little time to put her newly formed plan in motion.

"Then let me at least speak with my officer. I believe that right is allowed, is it not?" There was slight aggression in her voice, but with great self-control managed to temper its inflection even as the words left her mouth.

"Of course." Tem nodded smugly before signaling to two guards. "Escort Captain Woods to the prisons." He ordered.

Anya made a move to follow, but Lexa put a hand out to stop her. "Go back to the Washington and inform Rear Admiral Luna about the situation." She murmured. "And contact the officer's original crew, let them know what's going on." Anya nodded, and Lexa turned to follow the Imperial Guards.

* * *

When Lexa finally laid her hawkish eyes on the officer, she shook her head angrily. He didn't have a chance. His dark curly hair was matted and ragged, bruises developing over his face, one eye swollen shut. From the way he was sitting, Lexa would also assume that he had a few broken ribs. This man would not be able to survive a duel to the death, if it would even happen.

She strode closer to the cell door. The man, leaning heavily against the wall, did not notice her presence until she knocked loudly and obnoxiously on the transparent material separating them. His sharp brown eyes snapped up from the section of the tile he had been observing to meet her apathetic, reserved expression.

"Who are you?" He asked harshly, though his voice was weak with pain. His dark brown eyes shone with fire. He still had some fighting spirit in him yet.

"Captain Woods of the USS Washington." She answered. "And it would bode well for you to pay the proper respects to a superior officer." She reminded him, not unkindly. "Bellamy Blake, right?" The man nodded briefly, his eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked quietly. Lexa grimaced as he shifted slightly against the wall, releasing a low groan.

"I was sent here to rescue you." Lexa grunted. "Though from what I hear, my word and the word of Starfleet may not be able to get you out of this pickle."

Bellamy grunted in response, then after a brief pause he slowly pushed up on shaking legs. "Then why are you still here?" He walked over to the door, his hands bracing his form against the transparent barrier between them.

"What exactly did you do Blake? My Admiral told me you had committed a petty crime, yet when I got here Chancellor Tem informed me that you intervened on a domestic dispute." Lexa frowned, her arms crossed.

Bellamy let out a humorless laugh, and moved to sit down on the small cot wedged in the corner of the cell. "That Andorian was throwing one of his wives against the wall, beating the shit out of her." He grunted. "Would you have just stood there and let that happen?"

Lexa clenched her jaw. "I would have, yes. If I was working on a diplomatic mission, I would have kept my head down." She stated pointedly. "As you should have." Her green eyes flashed angrily, and Bellamy glared back with the same spite.

The man jolted to his feet, stalking over to the door again. "I should have known." He snarled. "I've heard the stories about you, from former crew members of the Cole." Bellamy jeered. "The heartless commander, who abandoned her own crew member-"

"Enough!" Lexa's nostrils flared with fury, her eyes snapping shut as she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. The urge to pummel this man's skull into a pulp would be counterproductive, and in direct opposition to the directive.

When her eyes opened again, she fixed Bellamy with a firm stare. "You're due to fight tomorrow evening. It was my mandate to bring you back to Earth alive." She stroked her chin, racking her mind with all that she had remembered from reading the Code of Ushaan, she sighed heavily. "Are you married?"

Bellamy looked at her in mild shock, likely because of the randomness of the question posed. "No, why?"

"Because if you're married and you don't yet have a child, you may be able to postpone the fight indefinitely." She answered. Bellamy shook his head, and she ran a hand over her tired eyes. "Then we'll have to come up with something else." She gave the officer a once-over, evaluating his current state. "I shall attempt to find a loophole to get you back to Earth. Otherwise, don't be a jackass and keep your mouth shut." Lexa grunted before turning on her heel.

* * *

Once Lexa was beamed back up to the Washington, she was bombarded by her lieutenant and her first officer as she marched back to the bridge.

"What do you mean there's going to be a Ushaan?" Lincoln repeated as Lexa walked through the open elevator doors and stepped onto the bridge. The man's eyes were filled with worry, and Lexa vaguely remembered Lincoln mentioning a brother-in-law once. This must be the man.

The other members of her crew were all watching her as she made her way through the small crowd.

"Okay hold up, what the fuck is a Ushaan?" Costia's voice was loudest, which was impressive given the racket that Anya and Echo were also making.

Ryder rolled his eyes, his arms crossed. "Captain, what is our plan now?"

Lexa moved to sit at the Captain's chair, and silenced them all with one hand raised in the air imperiously. Lincoln opened his mouth, and she shot him a stern glare. Ignoring Ryder's question, she turned her head to address Anya. "Have you contacted the Admiral?"

"Yes Captain." Anya bit her lip. "The Admiral said that she would prefer if things were settled in a diplomatic fashion."

"No shit. But just how are we going to do that?" Costia snarled, hackles raised in panic. Anya shot her a death glare, her chest puffed up as she faced the science officer.

"I don't see you offering any alternatives." Anya retorted scornfully, and Lexa put a hand on her temple. Costia took a few steps forward so that the two women were inches away, close to blows.

Lexa closed her eyes, her patience wearing extremely thin. Beside her, Gustus stood quietly, and she glanced at him. He gave her the briefest of nods, and she sent him a grateful look. It was decided.

"Silence!" Lexa roared. Instantly, the two women were quiet. Lexa steepled her fingers in deep thought, her eyes closed. Quietly, almost in a whisper, she said. "How about Blake's crew? Have you notified them?"

"Yes I did Lexa. Why is that important?" Anya asked, puzzled. Lexa opened her eyes and met the older woman with a firm gaze.

" _My_ crew is my _family_." She uttered. "And I think that might hold true for any crew member of a Starfleet ship. Therefore, his family has a right to know. A right to fight for him." She tapped her index fingers together. "Bring up his commanding officer online, if you can." Lexa ordered Gustus, who nodded and set off on the task. Lexa's gaze swiveled back to Anya. "Where is his crew right now?"

"Barisa Prime." Lexa swallowed thickly at Anya's response. However, anything she might have said was abandoned in that second, when the screen in front of her was suddenly occupied by a very familiar face.

"This is Captain Griffin of the USS Ark." The blonde stated formally, and Lexa had to fight to keep her face a still mask of indifference.

"Captain," She nodded formally, then continued. "I'm sure you're aware of the current situation as Anya may have informed you." Clarke nodded her head.

"Affirmative. Your lieutenant briefed me hours ago." The other captain's eyes were glistening with concern. "She told me that Officer Blake is involved in a duel to the death?"

"That's correct." Lexa said stiffly. "Might I ask, Captain Griffin, why your officer was initially on Andoria?" Clarke sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"He was there gathering intelligence. We had heard rumors of an anti-Vulcan movement within their government." Clarke explained.

"You mean conjectures." Lexa snapped. "You sent a man down there for whispers in the wind, endangering the peace of which this Federation rests on." Clarke's eyes widened, then her face morphed into a mask of fury.

"It was a peacekeeping mission!" She retorted. "I didn't expect him to be a boneheaded prick!" Lexa huffed angrily.

"Clear the bridge!" Lexa ordered loudly. Costia's face depicted all sorts of surprise, and Lincoln exchanged a glance with Anya.

"Captain," Lincoln started, but Lexa raised her hand in dismissal.

"Clear. The. Bridge." Lexa barked. Immediately, the officers abandoned their posts and filed out as quickly as they could, desperate to be as far away from the volatile bomb that was their captain.

Once the bridge was empty save for Lexa, she stood from her chair and paced, her steps rangy and powerful. Clarke, from the screen, glowered at the brunette. "Lexa, I honestly didn't think Bellamy would do something so stupid."

"This is beyond stupid." Lexa growled. "But sending him down there, was it even part of your prime directive?" Clarke looked away, and Lexa got all the information she needed.

"It was our mandate to keep the peace. We are a peacekeeping armada, remember?" Clarke stated. "We had to investigate." Lexa stopped pacing to glare up at the screen.

" _Had_ to, or wanted to?"

"Oh don't be such a dick, okay?" Clarke shot back. "We were authorized to investigate relations between Andoria and Vulcan, it was a legitimate order."

"Okay, fine." Lexa growled. She resumed pacing the floor. "Now I have to clean up your mess, just like on Earth." Despite the tension and the context, Clarke let out a short grunting laugh, almost as though she had been trying to stifle it.

"What do you plan on doing?" Clarke asked after a few seconds, to which Lexa barely glanced up at the screen.

"I'm thinking." Lexa said. She clasped her hands behind her back. "This has only every occurred once in Starfleet history." Lexa furrowed her eyebrows. "Blake's pretty badly wounded." She muttered to herself. She straightened and glanced briefly at Clarke "Are you still in Barisa Prime?"

"Yes." Clarke answered quickly. "And we can't leave right now." She frowned. "Wait," Her eyes burned holes into Lexa's back as she paced. "Tell me you're not thinking what I'm thinking right now."

Lexa paused mid-step to give her a puzzled frown. "That sentence did not make any sense at all."

"Oh lay off it." Clarke snapped. "Answer my question." Lexa smirked, turning to face Clarke.

"Ask it again."

"Tell me you aren't thinking about substituting for him."


	5. Chapter 5

Lexa's throat was constricted, her spine rigid as she paused to glance up at the screen, at Clarke's blue eyes. She cleared her throat, steeling herself before she answered the blonde.

"I am indeed, considering it." She said finally, after breaking under the other captain's intense gaze. At once, it was as if a volcano had erupted.

"Are you insane?" Clarke positively squeaked, her voice raising several octaves. "That's suicide!"

Lexa frowned at Clarke. "It is the most logical option. There's a 50% probability of success, if not more."

"And a 50% chance of failure." Clarke retorted. "There must be other alternatives that you haven't considered yet, we can find something else less risky."

"There is nothing else." Lexa said quietly, resolute. She continued pacing restlessly. Her mind raced with pieces of a concocted plan, spinning around faster than the speed of light. "Clarke, there is no other option. I would not have a Starfleet officer sent to certain death."

"Then I'll fight for him." Clarke said, her voice hopeful, yet Lexa only shook her head at the blonde's suggestion.

"That suggestion in itself is illogical; you are too far away and would not make it in time." Lexa flattened the alternative easily. She paused mid-step to meet Clarke's eyes levelly. "This is the only way."

"Lexa."

"Captain Griffin, that's enough." Lexa intoned firmly, one hand lifted up to stop her. "Do you doubt my ability to win in hand-to-hand combat?" She asked robustly. Clarke crossed her arms and glared back.

"Lexa you're the captain of your ship, you're their leader. And what if you lose?" Clarke asked, and Lexa could swear she heard an undercurrent of worry in her voice.

"First officer Lincoln is more than capable of taking my place. And Clarke, you are not in a position to change our current circumstances, and even so, death is a path that we all must take, the only unknown variable is the _when_."

"Goddamn it Lexa, stop being so callous, so asinine, for one second! Stop being a Vulcan about it and just let me speak to the human part of you." Clarke argued blithely, her eyes dark with vehemence, and in this moment, Lexa swore that she was more attracted to this woman that she had ever been to any other life form.

"Clarke, your concern is most welcome, but unnecessary." Lexa stated firmly. She stopped pacing and sat down at her chair. "I have orders to bring back your officer, and I intend on following through." She smiled wearily. "I do have a 90% success rate after all."

"But this is your life Lexa." Clarke snarled, sounding livid and indignant. "Are you willing to gamble on your life?" Lexa closed her eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm not." Clarke stated, and Lexa opened her eyes to meet the other woman.

"And who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?" Lexa asked. "You are a captain with your own mission, I suggest you focus on that instead." Clarke glared at her, outraged and outmaneuvered. However, Clarke was never one to surrender to a fight not yet won.

"Lexa, I…I care for you." She said quietly, vulnerable and honest. "And I would like to think that you would listen to me. Please, please look for another way." Her eyes glanced hopefully at Lexa, who only turned her head, pretending not to notice the emotion in her last sentence. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She did not know how to respond to this sudden show of trepidation and sincerity.

"Clarke, this is my duty. We swore to the same ideals, and whether you like it or not, this is something that needs to be done." Lexa brushed aside the other woman's concern, choosing to ignore them in favor of getting her point across.

"Lexa,"

"Enough." Lexa said firmly. "It has been decided, there is nothing you can say to change this plan." She clenched her jaw. "Go tend to your crew. Care for _them_." The brunette corralled her own rebellious misgivings and ended the transmission. The hurt on the blonde's face was the last thing she saw before the screen was once more unoccupied, revealing the hollowness of the final frontier.

* * *

Clarke stared at the blank screen, a plethora of different emotions clouding her mind. Anger, disappointment, fear. She was angry at Lexa, angry at what she had said, at how she had brushed away her concern like a horse would bat away a fly with its tail. And she was also angry at herself, for not being clearer, for allowing herself to fall head first into a complicated relationship with a stubborn, yet charming, woman.

The bridge of the USS Ark, unlike the Washington, still held all of her crew members. Octavia had been silent while Clarke sat, lost in thought, but after a good few minutes, she spoke up, walking over to the blonde's side.

"Captain?" The younger woman ventured carefully. When Clarke showed no signs of having heard her, Octavia repeated herself. After a few tries, Clarke jolted from her reverie.

"Sorry, what was that Octavia?" Clarke asked testily. Her conversation with Lexa had made her irate and ready to explode.

"Captain, are you, okay?" Octavia asked quietly.

"I'm fine Lieutenant." Clarke snapped. She stood, glaring at the rest of her crew, who were silent. They watched her like a wild animal, and at the moment she felt every bit like the wild animal they saw her as. "Everyone get back to work." She ordered briskly, and at her own accord, her legs took her out of the bridge and onto the elevator.

She wasn't sure where her intended destination was, but when she had finally stopped moving, Clarke found herself alone in an empty cafeteria. She sat down at one of the several tables, her head in her hands.

Lexa. She had only met her five weeks ago, yet Clarke felt like the woman understood her, knew her to her very core. After Finn, she had promised herself to simply live in the moment, and she had. She had lived in three weeks of moments. She had sworn to just 'fool around', and for five weeks she had fooled herself into thinking that that was all it was.

That same woman was going to fight in a duel that could only end in death, and Clarke felt that clench of her heart, the sensation she hoped she could avoid, yet here she was experiencing it for the second time.

Lexa. Just the woman's name was enough to piss her off and turn on other unwanted and inappropriate emotions simultaneously.

It was her fault. Clarke dropped her head, her forehead resting on the metal surface of the table. She had thought she could do it, could have mindless, unattached sex. Damn her heart, and damn Lexa. Even thinking about the brunette made her blood boil, and her fists impacted the table instinctually.

"Whoa there." Clarke's head snapped up at the sound of company, and she was met with chocolate brown eyes and a sympathetic smile.

"Raven, here to get some food?" Clarke asked in a falsely cheery tone. The engineer let out a short laugh and sat down across from the blonde.

"Clarke, we both know why I'm here." She said softly. Raven searched Clarke's facial features, the corner of her mouth quirked. "How long have you been seeing Lexa?" Clarke leaned back on her seat, crossing her arms.

"What makes you think that?" She deflected quickly, to which Raven simply smirked.

"Please. If Wick and I argued like that, we'd still be married." Raven clasped her hands together, resting them on the cold table. Clarke groaned and rested her elbows on the surface between them.

"She's stupid." She finally grunted.

"She's brave."

"She's stupid. And arrogant, and stubborn."

"Sounds like your kind of woman." Raven folded her arms with a winning smirk.

"She's not my woman." The words stung, were poison in her mouth as she spat them out, a small part of her wishing it would be true. "She's just, someone I've been hanging out with."

"And sleeping with, evidently." Raven observed, and Clarke glared at her.

"Yes, okay, we've been sleeping together for a few weeks." She looked down at her fingers. "But we're not…we haven't labelled it." It was the hesitation in her voice that gave her away, and ultimately Raven, being the inquisitive person she was, caught on.

"You want to though." Clarke laughed humorlessly at the brunette.

"What difference does that make if she dies tomorrow?"

"But what if she doesn't?" Clarke shook her head at Raven, covering her face with her hands. She was silent, contemplating this possibility, and finally sighed.

"I didn't want to fall for her." She mumbled through her fingers. "I didn't even know that I had too, but then she just had to get involved in a duel to the death, had to go risk her life, and now I have all these different feelings about her that just won't let up." Clarke moaned. "I want to kill her. I want to slap that stubborn look off her face." The blonde rubbed her temples. "But I also want to kiss her, I want to hug her and keep her safe with me." Raven laughed, reaching forward to pull Clarke's hands from her face.

"Well it seems you have, and it's too late to turn back now." Raven smiled at her, her fingers clasping Clarke's clammy palms. The blonde stared down at the table, and finally looked up to meet Raven's patient gaze.

"Well fuck."

* * *

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Lincoln asked as he stood next to Lexa. They were at the ring, Bellamy currently being tended to by Nyko, their medical officer who had beamed down with the two of them.

"Stop." Lexa growled. "I've had enough conversations circulating around this." She barely looked at him before offering offhandedly. "I'll be fine." Her face was emotionless, devoid of any anxiety, hiding the bubbling feeling welling within her as she cracked her knuckles.

"We're just concerned." Lincoln bit his lip. After a heartbeat, he opened his mouth. "Captain Griffin seemed pretty worried too." Lexa's eyebrows rose comically, but she refused to turn her head.

"How would you know that?" She asked, her voice cool and aloof. Lincoln shifted uncomfortably, and unwanted thoughts of the blonde woman, of the sharp tone of her voice, her soft fingertips on Lexa's skin, and the look of fear when they had last spoken, the thought that her angered expression would be the last time she would ever see it again sprang into Lexa's head. She swore under her breath. Her emotions were clouding her judgement, and at this very moment, that fact could get her killed. She _wanted_ to see Clarke again. To do that, she had to survive this first.

Shaking her head from side-to-side, Lexa distracted herself by eyeing her opponent. Melkar was swarthy, portly and round and with sharp cheekbones that contrasted largely with the roundness of his body. He was also much taller than her. This would be fun.

Around them, the arena was buzzing with excitement. Spectators watched from rows and rows of seats, as if this were a boxing match on Earth. There were boxes specifically reserved for higher class members of the Andorians, and cheap, nosebleed level seats. Lexa watched as faces, old and young, peered into the sides of the ring as they attempted to get a good look at their own people's opponent. Except the competitors fought to the death, and from what she had read, death by ice-miner tool was not pretty.

"Octavia yelled me about it." Lexa scoffed at Lincoln's use of verb.

"Yelled you?" Her serious mask split into a grin, and Lincoln smiled cheekily.

"Yes, she yelled." His smile faded. "She's worried about her captain, and so am I." Lexa let out a sigh.

"Lincoln, your concern is noted." She raised one arm, stretching it. "But I am fairly certain that this fight will soon be over." Lexa stepped into the ring, the sleeveless shirt she was wearing felt loose and comfortable.

On the other side of the ring, the Andorian mimicked her action, and at Tem's signal, they walked up to each other. A guard met them in the center of the ring, a rope ready and waiting in his hands.

"The rules are thus," Tem began, "The competitors will be tied to one another, with only the ushaan-tor as a weapon. The duel ends with either the death of one, or incapacitation." He nodded to the guard, and both Lexa and Melkar stepped forward and were tethered together, ice-miner tools in hand.

Lexa gripped the weapon loosely in her right hand, breathing deeply. The Andorian smirked at her, a cocky grin on his face. She ignored him in favor for watching for Tem's signal.

At the Chancellor's nod, the fight began.

The Andorian lunged at her instantly, and Lexa just barely avoided the blade of her opponent's weapon, the skin of her cheek still stinging from the closeness of it. With the restricting tether in place, Lexa found herself crippled as she ducked to avoid blow after blow, her own weapon lifting occasionally to block the strikes that came too close for comfort.

It was a dance, a bloody, deathly dance that continued for ten minutes. Throughout, Lexa kept slowly slinking backwards, leading Melkar around the ring in gradual steps as she dodged and ducked. It was not obvious, but Lexa could tell that her opponent was tiring.

"Are you going to keep dodging me like a coward, or are you going to fight?" Melkar taunted her as he slashed at her torso. Lexa felt the blade's sting at her flank, but she refused to let any pain cloud her features. It was at most, a carpet burn, and she would not allow something so trivial be the cause of her death.

"Do not discuss cowardice with me, when you were beating one of your wives." She shot back as she twirled to avoid another jab.

Melkar's weight was – as she had properly theorized before the duel began – slowing him down, making it difficult for him to keep up with her as she dodged and jerked away from him nimbly.

"Your officer interfered in private Andorian matters," Melkar slashed at her, and she parried with lightning-fast reflexes, the blades meeting with an almighty clash. "And so you will die by Andorian hands!"

Suddenly, his foot shot out in an attempt to trip her, and she just barely leapt sideways to avoid it.

As her left foot just skimmed the ground, she saw the blade singing towards her in the corner of her eye, and she hastily elevated her ushaan-tor up to protect her neck in the nick of time, parrying the offending weapon away with a powerful swing. Lexa panted heavily, sweat pouring down her forehead like a river. Her opponent did not fare any better, his breaths coming out in gasps. It was time.

Taking a deep breath to calm her heart rate, Lexa lunged forward at his shoulder, and as he swerved to avoid it, she swiftly changed the direction of her blade mid-swing, and slashed at his chest, ripping open his shirt and the skin and muscle underneath. The Andorian jerked back, stunned, and she lifted one leg and kicked him hard in the front of the knee, knocking him down.

Lexa heard an audible gasp from the crowd, and seeing her opening, she leapt forward, and with practiced precision, her blade met the skin of his wrist, and continued through the tendons and ligaments, across bone until finally the weapon met the air's sobering kiss with great relief.

The severed hand fell to the ground, the ushaan-tor clanging loudly on the stone as the Andorian howled in agony. The crowd hooted and jeered, and Lexa stood in front of the Andorian. His face was contorted with pain, and the corner of her mouth twitched as she took a step forward and kicked the fallen weapon aside. She glanced across the ring at Lincoln, and nodded to him briefly before looking up at Tem from where he sat at the Chancellor's box.

The look on his face was one of mixed emotions, yet he seemed to quickly blanket them with a calm mask as he stood from his seat. "Lexa Woods of Starfleet has incapacitated Melkar, and as such, the Ushaan can no longer be completed." He met her cold gaze briefly and directed his words to her. "You may take your officer and go." He signaled to the guards standing at the side of the ring, and they stepped forward to remove the bounds around Lexa and Melkar.

Once Lexa was untied, Nyko rushed forward to examine the wound on her left side. She made an attempt to swat his hands away, but a stern glare had her pause her actions, allowing the medical officer begrudgingly to attend to it.

"It won't need stitches." He announced. "It resembles a slightly bigger paper cut." Lexa snorted, and shoved him away by the shoulder.

"Great, so stop fussing over me." Lincoln walked over, an arm holding Bellamy upright. The injured man looked at Lexa with reverence, the eye that was not swollen gazing at her without contempt, as it had yesterday.

"Captain, thank you." He said, dipping his head low to her respectfully – albeit begrudgingly. She simply shrugged her shoulders at him.

"It is what any other officer would have done." She remarked, before turning to Nyko. The medical officer handed her uniform over to her, and she shrugged it on quickly. The material was warm and comforting against her skin, and she tapped on her badge to activate its communication capability. "This is Captain Woods to the Washington, beam us up."

At the forefront of her mind, Lexa wondered if Clarke would answer her if she tried to contact her once they got back to the ship.


	6. Chapter 6

Lexa would not see Clarke again until a week later, after the Washington had completed a secondary mission on Rigel V. During that week, the Ark had finished off their intelligence-gathering and diplomatic mission on Barisa Prime and had returned to Earth already. True to her intentions, Lexa had called Clarke once they had beamed back to the Washington.

To say that Clarke was simultaneously relieved and infuriated was an understatement. Despite suffering two hours of Clarke reprimanding her and shouting, Lexa had very innocently smiled and took all of it in. This is what she would have missed, if she had died. That thought was sobering enough to Lexa, and as she had watched Clarke rant, her face red with effort, Lexa felt a tugging sensation in her heart. The Ark captain had never looked more beautiful, and Lexa savored the moment. After the blonde had run out of things to shout at Lexa, the brunette offered her an olive branch.

"We're returning in a week's time." Lexa informed her. She smiled and looked at Clarke, suddenly shy and uncertain. With a deep breath, Lexa puffed her chest up. "I will see you at the docks, Griffin." She said decisively.

The blonde did not counter her, but simply nodded briefly and ended the transmission. Lexa tried to ignore the twinge of disappointment, that Clarke had not said more, but she resolved to make it up to the woman when they met again.

The captain of the Washington now looked out the shuttle window, watching as the spacecraft slowly made its way to the docks. Anya was dozing next to her, and Lexa prodded her with an index finger to wake her.

"What?" Anya snapped up, and Lexa put a calming hand on the older woman's shoulder.

"We're landing." Lexa began. "And you were drooling, so just giving you time to wipe the remains off before Echo sees and laughs her ass off." She added, and instantly Anya's hand went up to the corner of her mouth, where Lexa had indicated. With a meek grin of thanks, Anya retrieved a napkin from her pocket and wiped off the saliva.

"So," Anya balled up the napkin. "Are you excited to see your overly concerned 'friend'?" She winked at Lexa suggestively, and Lexa flipped her off.

"She's still mad at me, I'm more concerned for my life than anything." Lexa quipped, though there was no denying that her heart was beating eagerly at the thought of seeing Clarke's face in-person, and not through a screen.

The shuttle landed, directed by an experienced pilot to the assigned dock, and Lexa, followed by the rest of her crew, moved to unbuckle their seatbelts and gather what personal effects they had brought along on the mission.

Once the sole of Lexa's boot touched the landing dock in San Francisco she saw Clarke. The Ark's captain was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, watching with an irate expression and her arms crossed as Lexa stepped down from the shuttle. It felt like the longest walk of her life as she took careful, clipped strides down to meet the woman.

Finally making the last stair, Lexa stood before Clarke, their similar height giving her a perfect view of the other woman's face. Behind Lexa, Lincoln and the rest of her crew were filing out of the shuttle, and while they made a show of it, the captain knew they were milling about, curious to see the interaction between the two women. Lexa wanted to shout at them to leave, but she knew she couldn't. Besides, any other potential options were made impossible when the other captain spoke first.

"So you survived." Clarke commented in a falsely offhanded manner, as if she had not known before, and Lexa gulped and nodded. The blonde stared hard, a mixture of icy cold wrath and fiery hot relief painted across her face. It was clear that she was still quite mad, despite their conversation in the previous week.

"As I said I would." Lexa remarked, and Clarke's eyes darkened. Lexa could tell by the twitch of Clarke's left eyebrow and the thin line of her lips that there was much more that she wanted to say. Before she could however, the blonde's attention flicked to someone over Lexa's shoulder, and the brunette craned her neck to see what or who had distracted the woman.

"Clarke." Bellamy was still sporting his bruise, but he otherwise looked healthy and well-rested as he strode over to the two women with a grin that stretched from ear-to-ear. To Lexa's surprise, Clarke's previously annoyed visage took on a pleased and enthused expression.

"Bellamy, it's great to have you back." Clarke smiled warmly, sidestepping Lexa and Anya, who had walked up to stand by Lexa. Hazily, Lexa wondered why Anya would even think that she required any assistance, but did not bother posing that question to her at this moment.

Ignoring both women, Clarke raised both arms wide to pull the ship officer turned-intelligence agent into a bone-crushing, familiar hug. Lexa crossed her arms at the sight, a pang of jealousy stirring at the pit of her stomach at the intimacy between the two crew members. Lincoln touched her shoulder briefly, and she shrugged off his hand with a glower.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Captain Woods." Clarke released her officer, and Bellamy tilted his chin towards Lexa, who shook her head humbly. Lexa, for her part, awkwardly shifted her weight from one foot to the other, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It is what anyone else would have done." Lexa grunted. She scuffed the heel of her boot on the platform uncomfortably. "Well, I'm needed with the Admiral." She lied in an attempt to excuse herself. "Griffin, Blake." Lexa looked away quickly, trying to ignore the flash of disappointment on the other captain's face, and instead scrambled to turn on her heels and make herself scarce.

Lexa turned quickly, retreating to the main hangar. However, as she was striding determinedly through the crowd of Starfleet officers currently in transit, she felt a strong hand grip her bicep, pulling her to a stop. At the touch, Lexa spun around aggressively, her temper flaring and her sharp tongue already winding up to verbally thrash the daring individual. Any prepared curse words were forgotten instantly when she was suddenly inches away from Clarke's face.

"What are you doing?" Lexa frowned at the blonde. She struggled to pry Clarke's fingers off of her arm, but failed miserably. "I said I'm needed elsewhere." She repeated lamely, but steeled her words to provide them with a hard edge of purpose. Her attempts to validate her alibi were all in vain however, if the look Clarke gave her did not make it _abundantly_ obvious that she was not buying that excuse for one second.

"Captain, if I could have a word in private." Clarke said. Her voice was firm; it was a command, an order, not a suggestion, and Lexa knew it. She sighed, and resigned herself to her fate.

"Of course, after you." Lexa responded tiredly, gesturing with an open palm. Clarke, with her hand still tightly gripping Lexa's bicep, steered her through the busy platform with a strong palm resting on the small of her back to ensure that she could not escape.

Once they had broken free from the crowd, Clarke dragged her over to an empty corridor, finally releasing Lexa's arm. The blonde spun around to face the other captain, and Lexa could tell she was fuming.

"You're not allowed to do that." Clarke practically snarled, and Lexa was taken aback with astonishment.

"Not allowed to do what, exactly?" Lexa frowned, crossing her arms. Clarke huffed loudly, running a hand through her loose hair.

"You're not allowed to just storm away like that." Clarke said, mimicking Lexa and crossing her arms. "You're not allowed to get jealous, not when you brushed off my concern a few days ago."

Lexa released a low groan. "Clarke, I know that I might have been quite short with you, but you were questioning my ability to lead my crew." She defended herself. "I have been commanding the Washington for years now, and my judgement is more than sound." Lexa stood tall, lifting her chin imperiously. "It was the right decision."

"But that's not the problem, Lexa." Clarke shot back. "The problem is that, in that moment, you didn't even stop to think about what you were doing to us." Lexa clenched her jaw tightly, uncomfortable, and Clarke, while noticing the woman's discomfort, forged on ruthlessly. "You didn't die this time, but the more you put yourself in harm's way, the higher the chances are."

Lexa frowned, and she raised an eyebrow. "Us?" Her hands dropped down to her sides. "Clarke, I – "

"Lexa I want you to be my girlfriend." Clarke blurted, the words spurting from her lips so swiftly that Lexa almost did not catch them. The brunette's eyes were wide in surprise, the words jarring and sobering.

Lexa had not dated anyone in over four years. At best, she was woefully out of practice, and now as Clarke, the woman who had been haunting her even as she had prepared to fight on Andoria, made clear her intentions, Lexa did not know what to say. She opened her mouth, but at a loss for words, she closed it. Just as she was about to form the words to express her astonishment, Clarke put a hand up in the air to stop her.

"Don't say anything yet." Clarke started. "It's just-" She paused, looking down at her toes. "I was very worried about you, and after you told me what you were going to do, I…I just couldn't think about what it would be like to lose you."

"Clarke, you didn't." Lexa said in a valiant effort to placate the blonde, but the woman shrugged off her attempt.

"No, you're alive, and that's what scares me the most." Clarke admitted, and when she finally glanced up to Lexa, the brunette saw glistening blue eyes, soft and vulnerable as they appeared to stare into her entire being, making her feel as though she were naked and bare in front of her.

"I don't understand."

"You know, for a smart person, you can be so stupid!" Clarke snapped, and with the blink of an eye, the blonde's face was contorted with annoyance. Then the fight seemed to leave her, and her fury in her eyes faded, and she ran her hands through her hair.

Lexa only watched, uncertain of this tempest, this fire that burned before her, volatile and unpredictable. She raked her mind to find a way to soothe Clarke, to make them okay again.

"Lexa, what is this?" When the brunette returned her gaze with a puzzled frown, Clarke tried again. "Are we just friends with benefits, lovers," Clarke threw her hands up in the air for emphasis. "What the hell are we?"

Then everything seemed to connect together within Lexa's mind, and suddenly all the different emotions that the blonde had shown her made sense. Lexa had tried hard to fight the feelings that she had for Clarke, had pushed them down, and compartmentalized until she could not hear them. Yet the mission had seemed to have dug out that buried chest and opened it, leaving Lexa baffled and unsure of what to do with them now.

She liked Clarke. That much was true, and an easy fact for Lexa to admit. What she had not been willing to compromise with however, was the internal war between her head and her heart. She had always assumed that Clarke would not want a relationship, and logically a relationship with another captain could cause too many other issues to count with two hands. Chiefly, they would have to declare their relationship officially to Starfleet, and all that trouble had Lexa wondering if this was a logical option for them.

And the smaller voice inside her head, the one that she typically ignored, called desperately for her to voice her thoughts. Her head had thrashed her heart in countless battles in an almost lazy fashion, yet here she was, her heart edging out the win in the last few seconds.

"Clarke, I like you." Lexa's voice was hoarse, and Clarke, who had been rather diligently inspecting her cuticles, glanced up, staying otherwise silent. The lack of response urged Lexa to elaborate, and she rose to that bait ready and willing. "To be blatantly honest, I liked you the second you walked into that bar and sat down next to me." The words felt foreign and unused in her mouth, yet they seemed to curl out from her tongue at their own accord. "Clarke, I've never had someone care about me the way that you seem to, and I'm sorry if I came off as cold and emotionless." She clasped her hands together as if in prayer. "I just, I don't know how to react to it, but I'm willing try." Lexa nodded cleared her throat. "I want you to be my girlfriend too."

Lexa met Clarke's eyes, her gaze unwavering and certain determined. She knew what she wanted right now, and it was this woman standing only inches from her. Clarke didn't move, and for those terrifying seconds, Lexa's heart pounded heavily against her ribcage.

"Lexa, I care about you a lot." Clarke whispered. "I care more than I should really. I didn't want to either, but I did, and when I heard about the Ushaan, I couldn't breathe."

"I know now, and I'm sorry for worrying you." Lexa began. "But I won't apologize for my actions." She lifted her chin proudly despite herself. "I did what had to be done, it was the right course of action." Lexa took a deep breath. "Clarke, if you want to date me, you have to get used to this part my job as well. This is what we do, Clarke." Clarke examined the hard set of her jaw, fixed her eyes on Lexa's sharp and stubborn face, and then finally nodded.

"Okay." She finally said, and the blonde stepped forward, their noses brushing, and closed the distance between them. Their lips meet softly, gentle and affectionate, and Lexa's stomach did numerous back flips. Clarke's hand went to her waist, and Lexa cupped the blonde's neck, bringing her closer to deepen the kiss.

At the touch of Clarke's lips, Lexa felt grounded, happy and complete. Whatever existence she lived before she had met Clarke simply could not compare to her current circumstance, right now, here in the landing platform kissing the most passionate, intelligent woman she had ever met. Any reservations she had previously were eliminated with each brush of Clarke's lips, with each gentle touch along her side, soothing the cut on her side, pulling her close until Lexa did not know where she started and where Clarke began.

Her hands were mollifying and healing, running over her body, the hard edges, and the curves to soothe wounds, past, and present. Under her touch, Lexa felt rejuvenated and new, healed after a long, difficult 25-year journey that was her life. Yet it seemed, life for her had not ever truly begun, not until Clarke walked into that bar. Lexa would not call this feeling love, not at this moment; this was still a romance in its infancy, and as a quarter Vulcan, while she maintained a cool mask, her emotions ran strongly. Such premature declarations would scare off a regular human like Clarke. She would not say it now, but one day, Lexa would allow the word to leave her lips. Now, she simply enjoyed the taste of Clarke and of her tongue, exploring the expanse of Lexa's mouth, leaving the brunette feeling incredibly warm and raring for more.

The kiss was broken abruptly when they heard the announcer over the sound system, calling for the members of the USS Ridley to board their assigned shuttles. The sound had startled them both, Lexa jumping a few feet away from the blonde in alarm. Clarke let out a gentle laugh before pulling Lexa close to her, their chests and hips pressed up against each other.

"Hi." Clarke whispered gently to Lexa, pressing her forehead to the other woman's cheek, nuzzling her affectionately with her nose.

"Hi." Lexa echoed, and she wrapped an arm around Clarke's shoulders possessively. They stood there, relishing in the other's company, until Lexa decided to break their moment of quiet. "So…we are dating now right?"

Clarke chuckled, and she kissed what little of Lexa's neck was exposed under the collar of her grey uniform. "Yes, we are numbskull."

* * *

"So…you and Woods, huh?" Octavia smirked and nudged Clarke. They were seated together awaiting debriefing with Admiral Kane, the two of them being the only ones in the empty waiting room. Clarke elbowed Octavia in the side.

"Yes, I said yes two times already." Clarke rolled her eyes, and Octavia had to contain her excitement.

"I love this so much!" She clapped her hands with joy. Clarke let out a short puff of air. Octavia was acting like Christmas had come early.

"Keep your pants on Octavia, it's not like we're getting married." Clarke quipped, although she had to stifle a smile that was beginning to creep up one side of her face.

"Doesn't matter, the two most badass captains of Starfleet are officially in a relationship!" Octavia crowed, standing from her chair and knocking it over in excitement. "It's like a match made in heaven!"

Clarke attempted to wear a disapproving look on her face at her first officer's antics, but a grin tugged at her lips regardless. "Okay O, just calm down." The younger woman bent down to right her chair again, and when she sat down, she was still bubbling.

"You two are basically a power couple." She continued with the same enthusiastic voice. "And Lincoln and I are calling dibs for you two to come over to our place for Christmas, okay? No backing out." Clarke snorted, laughing as Octavia went on babbling. As overwhelmed as she felt because of Octavia's words, she also could not contain the happiness that threatened to bubble over every time she thought of Lexa.

"You're _Clexa_ , the kickass super couple of Starfleet." Octavia said, which markedly caught Clarke's attention.

"I'm sorry, Clexa?" Clarke wrinkled her nose in distaste at the sound of the portmanteau. "O, you're 23, stop acting like a crazy fan girl from middle school." Octavia chortled, and Clarke added. "And you are not calling us that."

"Too late Cap!" Octavia grinned. "Raven, Anya, and I are hooked on it, that's what we call you guys in our group message board," Octavia informed Clarke with a shit-eating grin, and Clarke wanted to put her in a head lock, "and I got Lincoln to refer to you two by that name last night at dinner." She put two raised thumbs right in front of Clarke's face, and the blonde batted them away.

"We literally just started dating officially last week, and you already started calling us weird couple names?" Clarke gawked, and Octavia doubled over in her seat in laughter.

"Oh please Griffin, you're practically glowing right now!" Octavia gestured to the blonde's face. "Anya and I are already placing bets for when you two are going to shack up and get married." The younger woman put one hand behind her ear. "I can already hear the wedding bells!" She sighed in a mock-dreamy voice.

"Wait, you two did what?" Clarke was balling up her fists in preparation to punch Octavia in the thigh, but before Clarke could even put her plan of attack into action, the door to Kane's office opened, and his Regelian secretary poked his head through the entrance to address them.

"Captain Griffin, Lt. Commander Blake, the Admiral would like to see you now?" He announced gruffly, and Clarke stood quickly, pulling her uniform top to smooth a few wrinkles.

"Thank you." She said politely, and after shooting Octavia a censoring glare, the two were led down the smaller hallway to meet Kane.


	7. Chapter 7

When at long last Clarke crawled back up to kiss Lexa on the lips, the blonde grinned from ear-to-ear as she took in the sight of the woman who had just come undone by her gentle but practiced tongue. Lexa's arm wound tightly around her waist, the brunette sporting a grin on her face after Clarke pulled away slightly to get some air.

"Someone was really eager tonight." Clarke said softly as she rested her chin on Lexa's chest, giving her the perfect view of the brunette's face. Lexa's head rested back on Clarke's pillows after an intense session between the sheets.

"Hey, it's been a few weeks since we've…" Lexa trailed off and instead wiggled her eyebrows, and Clarke laughed. Three more missions after, and eight months since meeting, the two had fallen into a routine, and Lexa couldn't imagine not talking to the woman every day and seeing her face, whether in person or on a screen.

"You're such a kid." The blonde scolded her, a hand stroking up and around Lexa's bared torso, giving her full access to the hard muscle and contrasting soft skin that regularly hid well under a gold uniform.

"And yet you're dating this kid." Lexa joked. "Which means your standards are just really low." Clarke raised a free hand and flicked Lexa across the temple, and the brunette flinched in surprise.

"Got you." Clarke said softly, and she shifted up to sooth the spot she had hit, brushing her lips gently along her forehead, trailing down to her cheekbones, then to the tip of her nose, but studiously avoided Lexa's mouth. The brunette huffed, both hands moving up to wrap around Clarke's shoulders.

"Really, you're going to get me all hot and bothered and not even kiss me?" Lexa protested even as Clarke continued diligently kissing every other part of the brunette's face, but skipping over her lips. She darted slightly to kiss the corner of her mouth, and Lexa frowned at her.

"You got to learn some self-control hon." Clarke tsked with her tongue, her lips drawing down to the side of Lexa's face, taking an earlobe between her teeth playfully. She sucked on the skin there, and Lexa released a low moan, her arms pressing Clarke tightly against her body, their skin touching in all the right places.

Yet, once Clarke placed a line of wet kisses on Lexa's arched neck, she stopped and pulled up to look at the brunette. Lexa, who had closed her eyes under the blonde's ministrations, opened them now to glare up at her. Clarke only offered her a wink and a teasing smirk.

"You are too easy babe." Clarke beamed smugly down at Lexa. It was at that point that Lexa tightened her arms around Clarke's midsection, and rolled them both over on the bed so that she was now lying on top of the blonde.

Their positions reversed, Lexa now sent Clarke a winning smirk, and peppered the blonde with kisses on her face, on her neck and collarbone. "Who's. Laughing. Now?" Lexa asked between kisses, and Clarke giggled and half-heartedly made a show of fighting off the brunette's loving touch.

The blonde wrapped her legs tightly around Lexa's waist, laughing as she playfully avoided each of Lexa's attempts to kiss her fully on the lips. "You're nuts!" She laughed, and then her arms went to the brunette's neck, finally pulling her down to kiss.

Their mouths met in a clash of flesh and gnashing teeth, tongues dueling in a fiery passion as Clarke relented to the fire in her belly, dying to be stoked, to be caressed by Lexa's skilled fingers.

The brunette's hands went low, and Clarke's back arched up from the mattress as she entered her, touched her. She pressed all the right spots, and within an embarrassingly short time, Clarke felt her release pool between her legs and coat Lexa's fingers.

Lexa was gentle, helping her come down from her high with soft kisses and a soothing touch on her skin, and when Clarke's back finally met the bed again, the brunette had worked her way down to a more generous position, cleaning up the mess down below with a delicate and tenacious tongue.

Clarke moaned loudly, and when Lexa rejoined her, she pulled the other woman in for a searing kiss. She could taste herself on the brunette's lips, and she chuckled breathily.

Lexa collapsed next to her, lying flat on her back. Clarke rolled onto her side so that she could rest her head against Lexa's naked shoulder. Exhausted, Lexa turned her head to press an affectionate kiss on Clarke's forehead, and the two fell into a deep slumber, their limbs tangled together.

* * *

It was hot, really hot. Lexa's eyes searched desperately for her crew in the burning wreckage, but from her distance, it was difficult to do anything of the sort. She stretched out a hand, trying to reach for them, and then she caught sight of someone.

The newcomer was on fire, screaming in agony at a volume so loud that Lexa could feel her eardrums deteriorate even as she stood there. She tried moving closer, but she couldn't move. Her legs seemed to be stuck on the spot, and she was unable to will them to take her to where she wanted to go.

The sweat on her brow from the heat dripped down onto the metal flooring, and she saw her own skin begin to boil and disintegrate in the fiery conditions, and Lexa's only thoughts were of hopelessness.

"Lexa!" She swung her head left to right at the sound of a voice, her eyelids growing increasingly heavy, her lungs starting to fail as she inhaled the smoke and the dust and destruction.

"Lexa!" Her eyes snapped open suddenly, and immediately she saw Clarke's concerned blue eyes hovering over her. The sheets that had been covering her naked body were discarded on the hardwood floors of Clarke's apartment, her heart beating rapidly like she had just been exercising and her body on fire. Clarke was sitting up at her side looking down at her with concern.

Lexa blinked a few times, trying to calm herself from her nightmare, and she took a few steadying breaths. Then she sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed, resting her elbows on her knees, her face buried in her hands as she attempted to get a grip on what had happened. It was as if she was there again, as if it was happening before her very eyes.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt Clarke's hand, gentle and cool on the small of her back. After a few heartbeats, Lexa's body relaxed visibly, and the blonde stroked the line of her spine with nimble, calming fingers. "Lexa, talk to me." Clarke pleaded, and Lexa shook her head slightly.

"I…I can't." She mumbled through her hands, sweat coating her brow even now. The bed shifted, and then Clarke's legs were on either side of her hips, and she felt the swell of the blonde's breasts pressed against her back.

"Okay." Clarke said softly. Her hands rubbed Lexa's arms bracingly, and then one hand abandoned its task to feel the brunette's forehead. "You're really sweating buckets." Clarke observed once their skin came in contact. Lexa sighed and leaned into the touch, feeling powerless and completely out of sorts. She felt weak and useless, numb.

Wordlessly, Clarke removed herself from her spot behind Lexa, and pushed off the bed and onto her feet. She tugged Lexa's hands gently, and the brunette allowed her to lead her to the bathroom. Once they were inside, Clarke guided her into the shower, and then she worked on turning on the water, finding a comfortable temperature.

They stood there under the warm spray, Lexa staring off into a corner of the shower, while Clarke stood facing her, hands gently massaging her neck, her shoulders. They stood under the water's healing touch until Lexa finally spoke up. "Sometimes I relive what happened with the Cole." Clarke's eyes brimmed with sympathy, and her hands moved to cup both of Lexa's cheeks.

"I don't know what went down there." Clarke said softly. "I know the official report, but I don't know much else about it." She murmured, her fingers softly stroking Lexa's sharp cheekbones. The brunette sighed, and surrendered to the blonde's touch. She moved closer to the blonde until their chests bumped under the warm water, and her arms moved to wrap tightly around Clarke.

Lexa rested her chin on Clarke's shoulder as they embraced, and the blonde rubbed her back gently. After a few more moments of silence, Clarke shifted to kiss Lexa's cheek. "Hey, look at me." She pulled away slightly so that their sight lines were clear and facing one another.

The blonde had never seen Lexa so broken before. Her skin was ashen, her eyes hollow and blank. She looked haunted, and green eyes that typically had so much life in them now appeared devoid of any happiness. "Close your eyes." Clarke whispered, and once Lexa had done so, Clarke moved closer and kissed the middle of Lexa's brow, and then her eyelids as she tried to convey all the love and care that she could. "You're with me." She said gently. "You're here, on the ground. With me." She kissed the side of Lexa's mouth, hands moving down to rub her back, to pull her close, to ground her in reality once more.

Lexa sighed, her shoulders quaking as she exhaled. She opened her eyes, and under the water, it was unsure whether it were actual tears on her face. Clarke cupped her face, blue searching green for the one that she had come to love deeply, and when she finally found her, Clarke smiled tenderly. Lexa pulled Clarke closer into an intimate embrace, and the brunette sighed heavily into the blonde's shoulder.

"I love you." Lexa said softly into Clarke's ear, and the blonde's hold around her waist tightened.

"I love you too." Clarke replied, and she kissed Lexa's forehead tenderly. "I love you, and I like you." She smiled, and Lexa let out a soft chuckle. After standing under the shower for a few more minutes, Clarke reached out to turn off the spray, and she retrieved a towel, drying them both off.

When they returned to the bed, Lexa lay on her back, her hands folded behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling. Clarke pulled the sheets to cover them both, and the blonde also decided to lie flat on her back, joining the brunette.

"The Cole was my temporary ship." Lexa stated suddenly, and Clarke, who had been slowly dozing, was wide awake now. She shifted to rest her head on Lexa's shoulder. She was silent, urging Lexa on with a soft hand on her hip. Lexa swallowed, and continued. "I was transferred off the Washington to test my first officer at the time, see how well she did as a captain in a smaller mission."

Clarke drew circles along Lexa's abdomen, encouraging her to continue. Lexa cleared her throat before she did. "We were told to negotiate terms with Romulans in neutral space, back when Admiral Jaha was still entertaining the idea of peace between them and the Federation." Lexa's expression darkened as she recalled that day.

"We had to sacrifice one of our medical officers to save everyone else on the ship." Her voice quavered. "After that, her boyfriend, also a crew member, was never the same." She stopped, the retelling of the experience bringing back emotions that she had managed to forget until now. Her chest was tight, and as if Clarke read her mind and felt her pain, the blonde reached up to rub her chest comfortingly. Lexa offered her a grateful smile. "One day, during a mission, my linguistics officer and I beamed onto a Vulcan star craft to retrieve a prisoner of Starfleet that they had caught in Vulcan territory." Lexa's throat felt constricted, and Clarke pressed a kiss on her cheek.

"You don't have to tell me." She said, reaching over to take Lexa's balled up fists, running her fingers over her knuckles.

"I want to." Lexa said, though her voice was shaky, but she pushed through the dryness of the throat. "While we were on the Vulcan ship, the medic's boyfriend blew up a series of charges that he had planted throughout the Cole." Lexa blinked back tears that threatened to materialize. "The entire crew, except for me and Anya, were killed." She closed her eyes. "I still can see the explosion, when I close my eyes sometimes." She inhaled erratically.

"Oh Lex." Clarke whispered in sympathy, and she pressed up against Lexa's side, her arms comforting and solid and real. Lexa exhaled, and she rolled onto her side, facing away from the blonde so that they were in a spooning position.

"I lost one of my closest friends from the Academy." She admitted, a pang of guilt in her stomach. "I should have died with them." She said quietly. Clarke's arm tightened around her waist.

"Don't you ever say that." There was an undertone of anger in Clarke's voice. "You survived, and you're alive. You can't change what happened no matter how much you dwell on it." Lexa did not respond, and Clarke shifted the brunette's hair away from her neck, kissing her softly there.

"I'm sorry." Lexa murmured, and Clarke frowned.

"What are you sorry for?" Clarke asked.

"For all this." Lexa responded vaguely. Clarke huffed, and she put a hand on Lexa's shoulder, pushing her onto her back. Clarke propped her head up on her elbow to look down at her sternly. However, the other woman's eyes were fixed on the cream-colored ceiling, avoiding her gaze.

"That is very descriptive of you." Clarke said sarcastically in an attempt to break the tension, and Lexa chuckled softly. The brunette still refused to meet her eyes though.

"I'm pretty messed up." Lexa said later, to further elaborate. Her eyes were still fixed on the ceiling, then she finally met Clarke's gaze. "My family's a giant shit hole of problems, add what happened to the Cole, several of the missions with the Washington, and you get all this." Lexa gestured to herself. "I'm not easy to deal with."

"What makes you think I won't help you deal with it?" Clarke raised an eyebrow, and Lexa closed her eyes.

"I had a girlfriend once." She admitted quietly. Clarke was silent, and Lexa's gaze returned to the ceiling. "I never told you, because I knew you would ask why we broke up."

"So?" Clarke asked. "Why did you two break up?"

"She ended things with me." Lexa clarified. "She couldn't take the weight of the baggage that I had." She snorted. "Then again, who would?"

"I would, and I will." Clarke said softly. The blonde gently put a hand on Lexa's chin, tilting her head so they were looking at each other again. "I've got you." She murmured, and Lexa wasn't sure when she had fallen in love with the woman hovering over her, but she was certain now, as she looked into blue eyes that moved her in ways that she could not describe. She loved this woman so deeply, all other romances that came before were playground crushes in comparison. Lexa loved Clarke, she was in love with her, and as their lips met again in atypical familiarity, it was home. She was her home, her family.

With the moonlight shining down through the windows, Lexa kissed Clarke with the fervor of a person about to die, because the future was uncertain, and because Lexa loved Clarke.


	8. Chapter 8

Lexa adjusted her waterproof gear, the dark material feeling tight and uncomfortable around her shoulders. She was exhausted, and if it weren't for the rain and hail, her eyes would have closed and she would have slipped into a mini coma. The Washington had just completed a diplomatic mission on Vulcan and had just docked at the space station hovering above Earth when they received a new directive.

It was a humanitarian mission on the planet of Veridian IV. Those were often the worst ones. After a series of flooding, the humanoid species inhabiting the planet had sent an emergency transmission to Starfleet, who responded quickly and efficiently. The Washington had been the only starship available at the time of the distress signal, and thus it was them who had their boots on the wet, damp ground of Veridian IV.

Lexa, due to her philosophy of leading by example, was first to beam down from the ship and onto flooding farmland. After a rapid assessment of the conditions, she took the divide and conquer approach, and so she and Lincoln led two separate response teams to assist the farmers and citizens of the pre-industrial planet.

Her team coincidentally had set off to what would become the worst of the flooding. As they made their way through villages, helping people escape from the torrential downpour and the overflowing rivers, Lexa had to hide the fear in her eyes. What used to be a dirt road and a village square had now become a raging body of water. Gustus rowed through the village, while Lexa, standing at the stern, called out to villagers.

"We're here to help!" She shouted as loudly as she could over the rain and the raging water. Faces began to appear at the windows of huts and houses, and at Lexa's signal, Gustus rowed them to the closest house. Behind them, Anya and Ryder were similarly making their way towards a hut.

It was a powerful, frightening thing, nature. Lexa helped a young boy leap from the second floor of the village and onto the waiting boat, catching him as he jumped. His skinny frame collided into her body, and without acknowledging the slight twinge of pain, Lexa plopped him down into the boat. Gustus, manning the oars, gestured with a giant, calloused hand for the boy to join him at the middle of the boat, where it was safest.

Lexa aided next a man and his wife, and in short time the boat was filled to the brim. There were still a few houses that required assistance. She looked around to the rest of her team. Indra and Echo were helping a woman board their boat, the villager's arms wrapped tightly around her infant daughter. Everyone was soaked to the bone, and Lexa swore she felt a fish swimming around in her boot as she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the punishing rain to scan the village once more.

"I think that's everyone!" Anya shouted from her boat. Lexa waved her hand in the air to signal that she had heard her.

"Alright, let's move." She shouted back, and with great haste, her crew members were rowing away from the village and towards higher ground. Lexa sat down, squished between two farmhands, who looked at her dully. Their world, their livelihood had just been destroyed in a matter of seconds, and Lexa was hardly surprised by their depressed state.

She gripped tightly to the wooden side of the boat as Gustus rowed with efficient, powerful strokes. Suddenly, she saw something heading towards them in the water. A head was seen first, then the rest of the body, hidden under the powerful current, was raging towards them.

Heavily pregnant and with a broken leg, the woman had been swept away from her perch at the deck that she was reclining on, leading to the predicament that Lexa saw her in. The river surged with a fury, the water splashing against the rocks with a fervor, taking the woman down with it. The woman's unconscious form floated past the group of boats, just out of reach from any of the Starfleet officers.

"That's my wife!" One of the farmers shouted, his scrawny outline seen standing abruptly from Anya's boat. He looked like he was preparing to jump in after her, but Anya's hand snatching the back of his shirt managed to stop him.

"Sir, you have to stay onboard!" Anya told him, and just as the lieutenant was about to jump in herself, she heard a splash.

Lexa dove, hands leading first into the water. The instant her body was consumed by the liquid, she felt it being dragged downstream. With powerful strokes, Lexa swam after the woman, aided by the river's gargantuan fury. Within seconds, she was already 200 meters away from her team.

She heard her officers shouting, but she largely ignored them as she put one arm in front of the other to propel her closer and closer. Lexa and the woman had been swept down the river, and she no longer could hear the cries of her crew. She inhaled through her flared nostrils as she tried to keep her head above water, swimming as quickly as she could to the unconscious form before her.

When she finally was near enough, she reached out and just barely caught the woman by her limp arm. With a great heave, Lexa managed to pull her so that she was gripping her tightly with her left arm as they now both were progressing down the river at a frightening pace.

Up ahead was the gorge, and Lexa knew that if they continued being swept down there, death would be certain, and extremely painful judging by the sharp rocks poking up from the water's surface. She swung her head around desperately, trying to find something to anchor them on. Her sharp eyes caught something in her peripherals; a long, thick tree branch hung low over the river's edge.

Lexa's feet touched the riverbed, and she used that momentum to push herself and the woman closer to the edge. She scrabbled urgently with her hand, her fingers just managing to grip the branch. The current pulled at her, and Lexa tried valiantly to pull the woman up from the water with one arm. The woman weighed at least a hundred and forty pounds, and Lexa was straining hard to push her up onto the bank.

Her strength was starting to fail, her arms feeling weak, when suddenly the weight of the unconscious woman was lifted from her rapidly loosening hold. Lexa looked up at the bank, and her eyes widened.

"Clarke?" She rasped. The woman looked down at her with frenzied blue eyes, and she gave her a tight smile. A rope was tied around Clarke's waist, and a few meters away Bellamy and Octavia held the rope tightly, the line connected to a nearby tree.

"Pass her up!" Clarke shouted, and Lexa jolted from her clouded senses. With a great heave, Lexa pushed the woman closer to the bank. The other captain's hands reached down and quickly pulled the unconscious, heavily pregnant villager from the water, and once she had dragged her a safe distance away from the water, Clarke returned to the river's edge, where Lexa was still holding the branch, with two hands now.

"Lexa, come on!" The blonde reached out her hand, and with great effort, Lexa's free arm swung out to her. Clarke's hand gripped Lexa's forearm tightly and she began to pull the brunette up from the water.

There was an ear-splitting crack, and then suddenly the branch broke away from the main body of the tree. The crack and the pulling of the river snapped Lexa's arm out, and she let out a hoarse shout of pain as she felt the shoulder of her left arm dislocate. The water surged against Lexa's body, and she felt herself being taken down, despite Clarke's grasp on her other arm.

"Hold on!" Clarke shouted, and her feet scrabbled at the edge of the bank as she strained to pull Lexa's waterlogged body up from the river. The brunette could feel the current pulling at her strongly, and she struggled desperately against it.

There was a snapping sound, and Lexa's eyes widened when she saw the rope flair out, and then the only thing connecting Clarke to the rest of her crew was a thread. Clarke noticed, but that only seemed to make her more determined and resolute in her attempts to pull Lexa out from the water.

"Clarke-" Lexa rasped, those crucial words on her lips, but Clarke was not going to let her say it.

"Lexa, don't you dare!" She shouted back warningly. "Come on!" She encouraged her, and Lexa's feet touched the bottom of the river momentarily, and with one final attempt, she kicked off. Clarke tugged her bodily out of the water, and the momentum had them both falling onto the bank, Lexa landing on her stomach right next to the blonde.

The brunette groaned in pain as her injured shoulder collided with the ground, and Clarke was instantly at her side, examining her arm. Lexa coughed out some of the murky water that she had swallowed, feeling leaden and spent, her eyelids closing at their own accord.

She felt light hands at her shoulder, and then there was intense pain, a popping noise that made Lexa's eyes shoot open.

"Sorry." Clarke apologized as she finished resetting Lexa's arm. Clarke looked down at her with concern and relief peppering her gaze. The brunette only sighed bodily, looking half-drowned. She opened her mouth to say something, but then another figure appeared at her side.

"We've got to move, the river's overflowing fast." Bellamy shouted over the sound of the hail and rain, and then Lexa was lifted up by two sets of hands.

Lexa's legs were still shaky, but she managed to stand, albeit with Clarke's assistance. She was leaning heavily against the blonde's side as they made their way up a hill to higher ground. Bellamy and Octavia were right behind, them carrying the unconscious villager along.

When they had finally made it to the ridge, Lexa saw one of Clarke's other crew members – Miller – waiting for them atop a tarp-covered cart pulled by two draft horses. He waved them over with a nervous hand.

"Get on!" He shouted, and with Clarke's aid, Lexa swung up onto the back of the cart. Bellamy and Octavia jumped up after them, and instantly Miller snapped the reins, and they started moving.

Lexa sat shivering next to Clarke, and the blonde wrapped a thermal blanket over her shoulders, rubbing her arms bracingly in an attempt to warm her up. Clarke looked frantic and worried, and in an attempt to calm her, Lexa poked a hand out and captured one of Clarke's hands, gripping it tightly. "Hey, I'm fine." Lexa said hoarsely, her throat still aching from swallowing all that river water.

"You are not fine at all." Clarke said quietly, and she squeezed Lexa's fingers. "I'm going to have to put that arm in a sling." She tilted her head to indicate Lexa's injured left shoulder.

"Okay doc." Lexa joked to cut the tension, and the corner of Clarke's mouth turned upwards begrudgingly. Clarke draped an arm around Lexa's waist, pulling her close to keep her warm, and the brunette felt herself drifting off before the cart went over a series of bumps, jolting her out of her doze. "What are you doing here?" She said suddenly, posing the question to Clarke.

"We got called in by HQ." Clarke said. "Admiral Jaha told us that the Washington's crew was already on site, so we were doing a sweep of the more remote parts of the countryside." She rubbed Lexa's side gently.

"We totally didn't expect to see you in the river." Octavia piped up from across the cart, where she and Bellamy sat. Lexa grinned weakly, and her eyes drifted towards the front of the cart, where the villager had been placed.

"Neither did I." Lexa responded, and she leaned against Clarke, relishing in the warmth and comfort she offered. She nodded towards the villager. "Is she going to be alright?"

"A few bruises and a broken leg." Octavia reported. "As for the baby, we'll have to wait and see." Lexa sagged into the blonde in relief, and Clarke's hold tensed around her waist.

"Did you get pulled into the river while you were helping her?" Clarke asked, and Lexa refused to meet her eyes, uncomfortable.

"Um, no." She swallowed. "I jumped in after her." Clarke's jaw clenched, but before she could say anything, Octavia beat her to it.

"Hard core!" She crowed. The young woman raised a hand up in the space between them. "Up top!" Lexa grinned, and their hands met loudly.

Bellamy nodded approvingly, and he offered Lexa a small smile, which she returned. Clarke inhaled breathily through her nose, but she bit her tongue. Lexa had a feeling that she would be getting an earful later. And she was right.

Once the cart had pulled to a stop at the temporary emergency shelters that had been erected at higher ground, Bellamy and Octavia lifted the unconscious woman out to get medical attention. Lexa and Clarke were a bit slower though, and by the time they had walked into the first aid shelter, the villager was already being attended to.

Costia, who had just finished bandaging a gash on Anya's bicep, looked up when Clarke led Lexa to the cot next to them. The science officer had a good two years of experience as a medical officer until her current position at the Washington had been open, explaining her presence here as she worked on taping the ends of the gauze around Anya's arm. Costia's brown eyes examined the two captains with a practiced eye.

"What happened to you?" Costia asked as she took in Lexa's bedraggled appearance. Anya, from her cot, chuckled.

"She went total badass and jumped in after a villager." Anya brought Costia up to speed as the other woman ambled up to her captain's side. Lexa attempted to stand, but Clarke's hand on her shoulder kept her rear firmly seated on the cot.

"She was being a dick, again, is a better way to put it." Clarke said, but when Lexa met her gaze, the blonde only looked back at her with pride. Costia and Anya exchanged amused looks, and Costia patted Lexa's knee.

"I'm going to need you to take off all this." She gestured to Lexa's waterproof top, and Clarke instantly moved to reach the zipper on Lexa's back, knowing the brunette wouldn't be able to reach it.

She managed to peel the wet suit off Lexa's right side rather efficiently, but was much more careful with her left. Lexa grimaced slightly as the sleeve was slowly pulled off her arm, and exhaled through her lips when it was finally removed, planting her right hand to grip the metal railing of the cot.

Costia moved to examine her shoulder, gentle fingers pinching and feeling the joint and the surrounding muscle and nerves that had been aggravated. "How does this feel?" Costia asked as she lightly applied pressure to the side of Lexa's shoulder.

"Fine." Lexa said offhandedly, and Costia nodded and continued her examination. Her fingers brushed a particularly painful and swollen muscle, and Lexa winced. She closed her eyes briefly in pain, then she felt slender fingers gently pry her hand away from the railing. Lexa smiled and opened her eyes, and Clarke returned the smile, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Who knew Lexa was such a baby?" Anya commented from her cot, and Lexa shot her a glare. Clarke and Costia chuckled, and Lexa raised an eyebrow at both women. Clarke gave her a lopsided grin.

"It's okay babe, we all know you're not really." Clarke reassured Lexa, a hand on the other woman's thigh.

"I'm going to kill her." Lexa huffed under her breath, and Clarke laughed before moving closer and placing a chaste kiss on Lexa's lips. The kiss, while quick, conveyed the fear that Clarke had felt, all the words that had not been said, and Lexa's entire frame loosened significantly.

"Kill her later." Clarke whispered into the brunette's ear, and Lexa quietly chuckled. Costia smirked and winked at Anya as they both watched the exchange.

"Alright, you're all good." Costia said finally, adjusting the sling comfortably. She patted Lexa on the knee gently. "Just don't push yourself, and I don't want to see you without that sling until next week." She added sternly.

"Got it. Thanks for this." Lexa said as she stood on wobbly legs. Clarke immediately was at her right side, a sturdy arm anchoring her securely. "Once you finish patching up, get ready to head back up." She nodded to both Costia and Anya.

"Yes Cap." Anya saluted Lexa, with a smirk playing on her lips.

Lexa rolled her eyes at Anya's antics, but let it go when she felt Clarke squeeze her waist. "Let's go check on the others." Clarke suggested, and Lexa did not even attempt to fight the suggestion. Instead, she allowed Clarke to lead her out of the shelter with a firm hand.

Once the two captains had disappeared from sight, Costia turned to Anya with an open hand. "Pay up, told you Lexa's the whipped one." Anya groaned.

"I was hoping you missed that." She grumbled, but reached into her pockets regardless.


	9. Chapter 9

Clarke lay on her side, keeping watch over Lexa as she slept. After checking up on Lincoln and the rest of the crew, Lexa was ready to admit defeat, and she was led without complaint to a nearby cot. Further assessment of the situation had both ships' crews planning to stay for the next two days to help with any more rescues and to aid them in rebuilding the most essential buildings and structures.

Luckily, the Starfleet officers had assembled a shelter for their own personnel. Only minutes after claiming a cot, Lexa had collapsed flat on her back, and within seconds was fast asleep. Clarke, a smile playing on her lips as she watched Lexa shift restlessly, raised a hand to brush away a few strands of the brunette's hair from her face. Lexa frowned, and Clarke wondered what she was dreaming about, if it was about all the missions that she had not succeeded in, that haunted her in her slumber.

The anger and the anxiety that had rushed up like a tide when Lexa had explained what had happened now nudged at Clarke as she gazed upon her lover. Even as she was angry, furious for what she did, Clarke could not ignore the pride that also welled up within her.

Lexa was _her_ girlfriend, a heroic, foolhardy, but daring captain of Starfleet, and though she had scared her, she had also made her so proud. She had signed up for this when she entered into a relationship with Lexa. She knew that Lexa would always go out and risk her life to save others, just as Clarke did herself. They were in the business of making the hard decisions, sometimes at the cost of their own happiness, and even their life. As such, Clarke had made her peace with the harshness of their reality. With a final glance, almost as if reassuring herself that Lexa was still here, lying next to her, breathing, Clarke closed her eyes.

At some time in the night, Clarke felt a presence at the side of the cot, and when she turned her head blearily, she saw Bellamy gesturing for her help outside. She groaned inwardly, but she nodded in affirmation before her gaze returned to the woman at her side. Lexa was still unconscious, no doubt exhausted after her ordeal. The brunette wore a scowl on her features, Clarke observed.

The blonde bent down and tenderly kissed Lexa on the forehead, her lips lingering for a few heartbeats. The brunette's scowl disappeared, at the touch, her face slipping easily in a more peaceful and calm visage. Clarke smiled at the sight, and then she quietly left the cot, taking care to pull the sheets up to Lexa's shoulders.

* * *

When Lexa finally woke, the other side of the cot was empty and cold. Her eyes, still blurry from sleep, examined the rest of the shelter. She saw Echo's brown-blonde hair peeking out from one of the cots, and not far from her was Costia, lightly snoring. Lexa slowly pushed the sheets off her with her right hand, swinging her legs to the side of the cot.

She felt well-rested and warmer than she had after rescuing the villager, which was rare. During missions, Lexa often slept poorly, waking in a grumpy state. Then Lexa remembered Clarke's lips on her forehead at some time in her slumber, and she knew.

With one hand, Lexa put on her boots and stood. She cracked her neck, groaning slightly when her trapezius stung from the action. Old habits die hard, Lexa mused as she adjusted her sling, ensuring it was in a comfortable position before she strode to the door of the shelter and pushed through.

The worst of the storm had passed during the night, and the rain was now a light drizzle as Lexa stepped out of the shelter to examine the rest of the compound. She stood under the cover, her eyes searching for the rest of her crew. She caught sight of Lincoln in deep discussion with Octavia at the edge of the clearing, and marching through the mud and into the clearing was a patrol of villagers and Starfleet personnel. Gustus and Indra, along with some of Clarke's crew, saw Lexa standing under cover, and after they waved at her respectfully, Indra immediately walked over to report to her captain.

The engineering officer was drenched, her short hair plastered against her skull. Lexa nodded to her. "What have you been up to?" She asked.

"Helping the villagers rebuild higher along the ridge." Indra explained. "They'll be temporary homes, but it should be enough to get them through until the water levels return to normal."

"Good." Lexa scratched her chin in thought. "We won't stay long, orders for a new mission are bound to come around sometime tomorrow." She remarked casually. "Ensure that the rest of our crew are aware of that." Lexa said, and tilted her chin towards the rest of the officers. An obvious dismissal, Indra slogged across the clearing after the rest of the patrol.

"Hey you." Clarke sidled up to Lexa's right then, kissing her on the cheek in greeting. Lexa hid her surprise at being crept up on, and reached out to link her uninjured hand with Clarke's.

"Hi." Lexa responded quietly. "Did you get any sleep?" She asked. Clarke played with Lexa's fingers, and shook her head.

"I've been helping Nyko, Costia, and Monty over in medical." The blonde said, her eyes exhausted from overuse. She leaned her head against Lexa's shoulder, and the brunette kissed the side of her head lovingly. Her head rested heavily on Lexa's frame, the blonde hardly bothering to stifle a yawn. "I can't wait for us to go back home." Clarke sighed.

"Me too." Lexa agreed. "We can just lie in bed until the afternoon, enjoy our time off, just the two of us." She grinned, and Clarke chuckled tiredly, her head drooping on Lexa's shoulder.

"Go get some rest, love." Lexa suggested, shrugging her shoulder slightly to get Clarke's attention. The other captain mumbled into Lexa's shirt, and the brunette grinned. Lexa squeezed Clarke's hand gently. "Come on, you're no use to the villagers half-asleep." She urged her. Clarke groaned, and lifted her head.

"Fine." She said, and Lexa knew it was not a great battle that she had just won, the blonde's resolve breaking much faster than if she had been in full strength. Lexa kissed Clarke's forehead once more before the blonde stumbled off to the door of the shelter. Lexa watched her go with a warm smile, and once the door closed, she pushed off on a strong right heel to check on other members of her crew.

* * *

Despite only having one arm in commission, Lexa worked alongside her men, sweating and toiling just as hard as any of them. The rebuilding process was running smoothly, and Lexa wielded a hammer with her right hand, her sling still worn around her neck, but hardly doing its duty to support her shoulder. Instead, her left hand held a nail in place as she assisted in the construction of a house for a family of eight perched on the neighboring hill from the emergency compound.

Costia gave her a withering glare that made her almost drop her hammer when she had caught sight of her. "You do know what 'next week' means right?" The science officer pressed, her arms crossed as she looked up at Lexa. The captain was perched atop the roof of the nearly completed house, the sounds of the hammer loud and insistent.

Lexa wiped her brow of the sweat and rain that had taken residence there, and barely glanced down at Costia. "I am aware." She answered rather nonchalantly, then cast her eyes cautiously to her officer. "What are you doing out here?"

"I thought I should let you know," Costia started, "That woman that you rescued, she gave birth last night." Lexa responded with a noncommittal hum, and Costia smirked. "It's a healthy five pound boy."

"And that concerns me, how?" Lexa questioned, though internally she sighed with relief and satisfaction; she had saved them both, they were alive, and at least she had done something good in saving an innocent, new life.

"They've decided to name him Alexander." Costia added, and Lexa did in fact drop the hammer this time. The tool clattered down the slanted roof and to the muddy ground below, missing Jasper's head by inches.

"Hey!" He exclaimed indignantly, but then Lexa shot him a glare, and he hastily retrieved the hammer and returned it to her without so much as another peep. Costia just watched the exchange, and she shook her head disapprovingly.

"Mr. Jordan, it is not a good idea to encourage Captain Woods to continue overexerting herself whilst she is still injured." Costia said, and she leaned against the ladder behind her as she glared at the boy.

"I-um." He gulped, caught between the intimidating clash of green and brown eyes. "What was that, Monty?" He raised one hand to his ear, and without preamble, Jasper scrambled away on his scrawny legs to retreat to where members of the Ark were assembling a barn for the multiple oxen milling about the perimeter of the newly-formed village.

Lexa chuckled quietly as she watching his quickly retreating form, then Costia directed her disapproving gaze up at the captain again. Lexa met her glare evenly, and Costia sighed. "You're not going to get down, are you?"

"Nope." Lexa said, and offered the other woman a one-shouldered shrug. "Someone's got to help build these houses while you're off slumming it in medical."

Costia rolled her eyes, then dropped her arms to her sides. "I hope that arrogance and stubborn pride of yours does not pass on to that newborn because of his prenatal contact with you." She joked, and Lexa frowned as the subject had returned again to the child.

"So, Alexander, huh?" She said, her voice lifting as she repeated the information relayed to her.

"The father asked for the name of the officer who had saved his wife and child." Costia explained. "I said it was Captain Alexandria Woods."

"I told you never to actually call me that." Lexa growled, hammer raised to secure a nail. Costia stuck out her tongue at the other woman, and Lexa laughed.

"Very mature of you."

"Says the person who barely listens to medical professionals and decides to ham it out on a roof." Costia crossed her arms again. Lexa grunted.

"Don't you have a baby to take care of then?" Lexa called down, and Costia rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky you're injured right now." She responded tersely, and Lexa chuckled at her words.

"What, are you going to climb up here and knock me down?" She taunted her, and Costia grinned.

"If I did that right now, Clarke would skin me alive." Lexa hummed at Costia's response, and flashed a wide smile at just the mention of her girlfriend. That did not go unnoticed by her officer.

"Oh propose to her already." Costia teased her, and then Lexa immediately pretended to concentrate on the hammering motion of her right hand.

"Shut up." She said lowly, surreptitiously, and Costia's eyes widened. The other woman grinned then, flashing her strong white teeth.

"Wait a minute-" Costia's voice filled with mischief, and Lexa scrambled desperately to quiet the officer.

"One more word," Lexa warned her, "And this hammer won't be meeting the heads of _nails_." Costia raised both hands in the air innocently.

"Okay fine, interesting development nonetheless." She remarked, and as Lexa raised her hammer menacingly, Costia turned tail. She did not however, retreat without winking at her captain over her shoulder.

Lexa released a breath she had not realized she was holding, and shook her head before returning to her task.

* * *

"Captain!" Lexa had just returned to the compound after assisting with a few more houses, and was making her way across the muddy clearing when she heard a voice calling for her, and she jerked her head to the sound. She grimaced when she did, forgetting again of her injured shoulder, and saw a panting Caris rushing up to her. The young officer doubled over, hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Calm yourself Caris." Lexa remarked dryly. "What is it?" The girl straightened, brushing away wet wisps of hair from her face.

"You have an incoming transmission on the Washington," she gasped out, still attempting to regain her breath. She seemed to collect herself, and she continued "It's urgent, Rear Admiral Luna says." Lexa clenched her jaw and nodded.

"Go get some water." She ordered her young subordinate, and as Caris nodded, Lexa was already tapping her badge to contact the remaining crew members still on the Washington.

* * *

"What is it that is so urgent?" Lexa asked as she strode onto the bridge minutes after beaming up from Veridian IV. The room was empty, save for Ryder, who was manning the controls while the others were helping down below. He seemed to be nodding off, his massive arms crossed and his chin dipping low over his chest. Lexa cuffed him on the back of the head as she marched past him, and he jolted into alertness.

"Starfleet Intelligence found a Coridan spy in Manhattan two days ago." Luna said as Lexa sat down. "Since then, we've made several attempts to contact their government, but they've largely ignored us."

"Great, and what does that have to do with me?" Lexa asked in a mildly irate tone.

"We've been teetering back and forth over whether the Coridans would join the Federation," Luna started, "So we need someone to recruit them, and your name came was nominated by Admiral Kane." Lexa scoffed at the Admiral's words, but Luna ignored her and forged on relentlessly. "Keeping the spy as a prisoner might be the catalyst for war, just as killing him would be, so we need you to return him for us."

"You just said that they're not responding to your attempts at contact." The captain crossed her legs. "What makes you think they will if I'm doing it?"

"Lexa, don't choose this precise moment to be humble and self-deprecating." Luna snapped, and Lexa raised her eyebrows in surprise. The admiral ignored the other woman's astonishment and continued speaking. "You have more experience dealing with Coridans than any of the other officers currently available." Luna wiped her brow with a handkerchief. "Lexa, we need you over here, now."

"Having a spy on Earth could indicate that they're geared towards war, not joining the Federation." Lexa argued. "Returning him might have no effect."

"We are obligated to sway them, as it is dictated very clearly in our mission statement." Luna shook her head. "Lexa, this is an order, we need you back at HQ." The admiral said, crossing her arms as she fixed a stern glare at the brunette. "Negotiate their entry into Federation, and there might even be a promotion in it for you."

"Fine." Lexa sighed in frustration. Just when she had entertained the idea of going back to Earth and spending more time with Clarke outside of work, she grumbled to herself.

* * *

Lexa perched at the edge of the cot, and her fingertips gently brushed Clarke's jaw. The blonde stirred, and her eyes opened. "Lex," she smiled lazily, and she reached out a hand to pull Lexa closer by the neck. The brunette met her halfway, bending down cautiously to kiss her briefly. When they parted, she knew Clarke could sense the urgency, the coiled energy in her muscle.

"What is it?" The blonde asked quietly, and Lexa cleared her throat.

"I'm needed back at HQ." Lexa rasped, and Clarke's eyes flashed with gentle understanding. She nodded, and the hand at Lexa's neck squeezed gently.

"Okay." She said softly, and she reached upwards to brush their noses together tenderly. "I'll see you back on Earth then?" Clarke asked, and Lexa nodded.

"Unless my plans change, it's a date." Lexa confirmed, and she kissed Clarke again, savoring it before she'd have to once more leave her. The brunette encircled Clarke with her good arm, and she breathed in the scent of the woman even as the blonde wrapped both arms around her waist. In her embrace, with her soft curves and hard edges of muscle, Lexa felt her heart flutter in her chest.


	10. Chapter 10

Abigail Griffin stood before a giant touchscreen, nimble fingers flitting through checklists and patient information on a busy Tuesday afternoon. She had just finished a surgery a few hours ago, and her eyes wearily glanced up at the screen. She heard solid, confidant steps behind her, and she did not care to turn her head to acknowledge the newcomer.

"Dr. Griffin." The woman smiled to herself at the formality of it all, the clipped and polite dialogue, the clicking of those boots that she had often heard, decades ago when it used to pervade the comforts of her own home.

"I've told you, you can call me Abby." The doctor finally gave Lexa her full attention, turning to face her. "What can I do for you Captain?" Lexa smiled politely, her cap tucked under her right arm.

"I am here because I respect you, and because you are Clarke's mother," the brunette began, the set of her shoulders indicating her nervousness, "And also because I wish to take the next step in my relationship with Clarke, but only with your blessing."

Abby chuckled, crossing her arms casually. "Does she know you're doing this?" She asked, and the younger woman shook her head slightly.

"No." She confirmed, and she blinked. "But it is only right, my mother raised me to be courteous, especially when the intent is to marry someone's daughter."

"And so here you are." Abby observed. The woman leaned her shoulder against the wall of the hospital wing, and she fixed Lexa with a searching gaze. "I lost my husband because he was in Starfleet."

"I am aware." Lexa nodded briefly.

"Then you should also be aware that since then Clarke's been the only thing that matters in my life." Abby frowned slightly, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "From the beginning, I have always said that joining Starfleet was a curse. We've had our differences, our fights, as a mother and daughter would, but that does not diminish the love I bear for her."

"I know." Lexa assured her. "You told me the first day we met."

"Do you remember me also saying that I don't like you?" Lexa nodded a second time.

"I do." The brunette smirked slightly, and she inclined her head towards Abby. "And it's because I'm a Starfleet officer."

"That's correct." Abby said, and then she pushed off the wall to walk right up to Lexa, standing a foot away from her. "I warned Clarke from the beginning, that she was just waiting to get her heart broken."

"I won't break her heart." Lexa said, her voice firm, strong. "She is the love of my life, I would risk everything for her. She is in every respect, my equal, and she is just as able to hold her own against me if needs be." The brunette paused, then added: "You raised her well, and protected her heart for her entire life. Allow me that honor now."

Abby held Lexa's gaze for a few heartbeats. "You do not have a child yet, so you cannot comprehend the trust you are asking me to extend to you."

"I understand." Lexa said. "And I'm sure you are quite unwilling to trust me, given the little time we've had together." She offered an olive branch. "Give me the chance to earn your trust now, as we will become more than just acquaintances."

"Good answer." Abby reached out a hand, and Lexa gripped it firmly. "Don't ever tell her you did this." She warned the younger woman. "She won't like that you came to me first." At her words, Lexa's mouth quirked. She could already picture the look of disapproval on the blonde's face, a face much like the one that Abby was making at her right now.

"I know."

* * *

The voice of Gladys Knight accompanied by the Pips rang clear in the background, bouncing off the walls of the apartment after a quiet evening spent at home. Lexa, sleeves rolled up from her now finished task washing the dishes, turned the volume up as she passed the stereo. Across the room, Clarke flopped onto the white leather sofa, her damp hair flying wildly as she landed with a soft thump.

"I honestly can't get over the fact that Octavia's actually thinking about jumping ship." Clarke's voice was filled with frustration as Lexa padded over on light feet to join her. The blonde leaned her head back on the furniture, her hands covering her face in exhaustion. "And to request a transfer to the Washington, _your_ ship, that's complete and utter betrayal."

"Maybe she just wants to be with Lincoln." Lexa suggested as she sat down next to her. "The majority of our missions typically last more than ten months now, it's only normal to want to be working in the same ship as your spouse." Lexa draped the fleece blanket over Clarke's lap routinely, as was their practice.

"Or your engineering officer poached my first officer." Clarke mumbled alternatively. She removed her hands from her face to give Lexa an accusatory glare. Lexa met her gaze levelly, unflinching even as the blonde glared daggers at her.

"Lieutenant Blake's decisions are her own." She stated calmly, and Clarke huffed. The blonde lifted her feet up from the floor and plopped them onto Lexa's lap as she shifted into a more comfortable position leaning against the armrest.

"You know, there was supposed to be a benefit to being in a relationship and living with a fellow captain." She complained, and Lexa chortled under Clarke's stern façade.

"And what benefit would that be?" The brunette's fingers massaged Clarke's scalp, gentling the wild animal under her fingertips.

"Being able to tell me if someone that you've known since childhood was actually about to abandon you for her husband." Lexa threw back her head as she laughed, and Clarke punched her on the bicep.

That only seemed to spur the brunette on in her laughter, though a conciliatory hand reached out and rubbed Clarke's shins. "I'm sorry, these lips are sealed," Lexa winked at her, "breach of confidentiality, ethical issues and all that."

"Then I guess those lips aren't available for other stuff." Clarke challenged, a blonde eyebrow raised expectantly. Lexa shrugged nonchalantly in response.

"Depends on the stuff."

"I hate you." Clarke grunted, but she pressed closer to Lexa regardless.

"Love you too." Lexa alit from her seat then, leaving Clarke huffing in protest, but returning shortly with two beers and to Clarke's waiting arms.

The rest of their evening was spent lazily, with Clarke resting her entire weight on Lexa, and the other woman leaning against the armrest of the couch respectively. The brunette was dozing off in the warmth of the hearth they shared, vaguely aware of Clarke's touch gently manipulating her fingers, her arm, and then moving to gently caress her torso.

"I love this." Clarke whispered, her voice quiet so as to not disturb Lexa. The woman hummed patiently in response, and she nuzzled into Clarke's blonde hair, making her ticklish.

"Hmm, I love you." Lexa responded, her voice muffled and tired, but holding a steadfast conviction nonetheless as it was whispered, like a secret, against Clarke's neck. Then, a playful smile on her face, Lexa followed along with the current song, repeating the lyrics into the blonde's ear. "I'd rather live in his world, than be without him in mine." She hummed, and Clarke laughed.

"Him?" Clarke swiveled her head slightly to give Lexa a confused glance in the corner of her eye. "Who is this man?"

"I was too lazy to change the pronoun okay?" The brunette sighed, resigned, the beginnings of a laugh brewing in her chest.

"You are so smooth, Lexa Woods." Clarke chuckled, and then in retaliation, Lexa's fingers were tickling her sides, making her squirm.

"That's me, 'smooth' is my middle name." Lexa agreed as she nudged her nose into Clarke's shoulder playfully. Clarke struggled away from Lexa's deadly fingers turning to face her, stopping the battle in the only way she knew how. Lexa's lips were soft and reassuring, and Clarke nipped her bottom lip gently. She rested her forehead on the brunette's, giving her a peck on the nose. Before Lexa could even comprehend what had just occurred, Clarke resumed her previous position, leaning back against her.

Lexa shook her head, but nonetheless recovered quickly, her arms tightening around Clarke's waist reverently as she held this unpredictable, complicated thing to her breast. She sighed, pleased with the blonde's presence, one leg entangling with hers in a possessive manner.

As a smile toyed at the edges of her mouth, Clarke burrowed deeper into the mold of Lexa's sturdy and dependable frame, her strong arms ensconcing her in a fashion that no one else ever could. The blonde sighed, content as she rested in the embrace of a woman who had aroused such heat, adoration, and passion that she had never known existed within the deep recesses of her being.

* * *

"So, have you asked her yet?" Anya asked Lexa two weeks later. The two women were currently occupying the newly promoted Admiral Luna's office. Lexa's promotion was on the cusp of becoming official, with the board still deliberating on it. Luna herself was currently absent, speaking with a colleague right outside, leaving Lexa and Anya to their own devices.

"I haven't found the right moment." Lexa answered unconcernedly, and she crossed her right ankle over her left knee as she sat. She used a hand to rub at her eyes, the sting accompanying reading her tablet still present.

"It's been two months Lex, there must have been at least one moment." Anya argued, pushing off the wall that she was leaning against.

"Shut it." Lexa hissed, the subject a sore spot for the tired captain. "You know as well as I do that the missions have been kicking our asses. We haven't even had any time together, save for one or two nights in transit."

"Well, true, but you could just pull her away for a few minutes and just ask her already." Anya grinned. "Just get down on one knee and pop open that box."

"We're not discussing that right now." Lexa grunted, a clear sign that the conversation was over. Anya made a small hum, but she still had a twinkle in her eye, to Lexa's annoyance.

To be truthful, Lexa was dragging her feet for an entirely different reason than the one she had given her officer. She fiddled with her uniform cap, her fingers kneading the woolen material methodically as she ruminated. It was in fact the trepidation of finding the right words to say to Clarke that nagged her. At night in her captain's barracks, or in the empty apartment where she endured a particular Clarke-less existence, Lexa stared up into the ceiling, vainly attempting to formulate the correct speech, the best way to convey her proposal.

* * *

The days and nights spent toiling over the complex issue became for naught though, when one night, lying with Clarke at the beach where they had kissed for the first time, Lexa found the proper course of action materialize into her mind and the necessary discourse hot at the tip of her tongue.

"Clarke," She breathed gently to the woman lying next to her. Clarke turned her head to divulge her full attention.

"Lexa." Clarke responded, a finger drawing circles on the exposed flesh of Lexa's hip. Gently, Lexa pried herself from Clarke's hold, and she stood. She offered a hand to Clarke, and without much resistance, her companion was standing with her on the empty beach, the soft sand curling around their toes.

Wordlessly, Lexa led Clarke on a stately stroll along the shore, their arms entangled in each other as they walked. The water shimmered with a silvery glow as the moon glared unblinking from above the inky night sky.

Enjoying her company, Lexa was content to walk in silence, her arm looped over Clarke's shoulders as the blonde matched her stride for stride. It was along their walk that Lexa devised the perfect plan, and halfway along the beach, Lexa halted, untangling herself and leaving Clarke to take a few more steps before stopping to search for her girlfriend.

"Lex?" Clarke turned, surprised at the sudden lack of her companion. Lexa met her gaze, her heart racing. With a deep breath to calm herself, Lexa moved to pull Clarke close by the waist.

"I love you," She said quietly, and Clarke knew in this moment not to interrupt, she knew by the set of Lexa's jaw, by the glint in her eyes. And so she simply listened, silent and encouraging. "I love you more than I ever thought possible, and in our years together I feel as if a newborn babe, with my life starting the second I had set eyes on you."

Clarke smiled at Lexa's words, and a hand went up to brush along the brunette's cheek softly even as the brunette continued.

"By loving me, I've woken from a deep slumber where life has been meaningless and without much to care for, and I want to live my life to its greatest extent with you at my side, as my equal and as my partner in everything we might face, together." Lexa paused, and she took a second to draw the courage she would need.

The night sky was wrought with a heavy anticipation, hanging over the air as Lexa then bent her legs, kneeling before Clarke, hands drifting down to rest at the blonde's hips and around. She drew a deep breath, and, with the blonde's eyes fixed on her, Lexa reached into her pocket with her right hand, and withdrew a small velvet box.

Instantaneously, Clarke seemed to stiffen with astonishment, and Lexa looked up into shining blue eyes. "Clarke, I want to love you for the rest of my days, if you are willing to allow me the honor. Space is the final frontier, and there is much left to discover and many paths to take, but I would trade every single opportunity to do so and be with you and forge our own path and have our own adventures." Lexa opened the box with her free hand, revealing the promise it held within. "Clarke, will you marry me?"

Clarke, eyes glistening with tears yet to fall, nodded. "Yes, of course I will." She said just as softly, and with trembling hands, Lexa slid the ring onto Clarke's finger. Once the jewelry was placed, Clarke kissed Lexa, expressing all her love and affection for this woman, her hands on either side of her face as she held her there and kissed her senseless. Lexa rose to her knees then, and with an elated laugh lifted Clarke with arms around her torso and swung them both in a circle, round and round until her legs gave out and they both fell on the sand, giggling like children in their excitement and giddiness.

With Clarke's lips on hers, Lexa's heart swelled up with a fullness that she had never experienced, and as the blonde lay above her, Lexa held her tight, swearing to never let go.


	11. Chapter 11

The sky was speckled with stars, the black canvas dotted with silver as it acted as the backdrop of the San Francisco skyline. Below, the streets were still bustling with excitement, likely younger adults as they engaged in various forms of night-life entertainment. Lexa observed all of this as she stood looking out the windows of the apartment. She watched with intelligent, inquisitive eyes. The corners of both shimmering green orbs were slightly wrinkled, the only other obvious signs of age being the few additional frown lines. Her body had maintained its lithe, lean-muscled state, after years and years of rigorous exercise and a career that required both sharp wit and physical prowess.

The summer heat permeated the expanse of the living room, bathing the area with an invisible, roguish tongue that was unrelenting and punishing, even with the air conditioning on full blast.

Her footsteps were quiet as she gently transferred her weight from one leg to the other. She was careful, her ears pricked as she listened. Then the bundle in her arms shifted slightly, and she smiled. Her eyes gazed down at the young, innocent creature in her arms.

Her daughter wriggled in her sleep, her face scrunching up in rebellion, and Lexa gently stroked the babe's cheek with a careful index finger. Silently, she doted on her, rocking gently from side-to-side as she lulled the child to a reluctant slumber that Lexa knew Clarke desperately needed more than anything.

When at last she had fallen into a deep sleep, Lexa returned the babe to her crib. She kissed her on the forehead, her lips brushing smooth, unmarred skin in an almost prayerful manner. Her eyes drifted over her, making sure she was resting comfortably before she finally left her to do that which was her job; to sleep and to grow, to one day become the most brilliant, intelligent individual the universe has ever seen.

The tired woman had just returned home, the door just closing with finality when she had heard her daughter's cries in the darkness of the apartment. Knowing that Clarke would likely be exhausted after a very harrowing few days of graveyard shifts, Lexa had dutifully attended to her little princess without complaint, her black and white uniform chafing her on the neck as it always did.

As she set her daughter down to bed, Lexa dragged her feet at the babe's door, her eyes watching the sleeping child with such tender affection that it almost rivalled her love for Clarke. Almost. With a small smile playing at her lips, the brunette set off to shower, to rid herself of the dirt and grime of the office, of the concrete jungle that she now officially called her home.

Her hair still wet from the shower, Lexa crawled into bed, the mattress dipping under her weight as she joined her wife. She shifted up behind Clarke, who lay on her side, facing the window and the lights below. Her arm looped gently at her waist, kissing her wife's cheek in greeting. "The babe's asleep."

Clarke hummed, her eyes closed. Lexa rested her head on the pillows, breathing in the scent of Clarke's shampooed hair, of the smell that she had identified as inherently _Clarke_ in all its ways. "I love you." She whispered, and Clarke smiled, though her eyes remained shut.

"I love you too, you big softie." Clarke responded, and she turned in Lexa's arms to face her. Lexa made a face at this new term of endearment.

"Excuse me, 'big softie'?" Lexa questioned gruffly. "I am anything but." Clarke laughed quietly, then shifted so that their noses brushed.

"Our daughter has you wrapped around her finger." Clarke said. "Not to mention you would do anything for me."

Lexa scoffed, but there was the glint of a smile in her eyes, though she hid the urge to turn up the corners of her mouth by scowling. "I wouldn't do _anything_ for you." She argued weakly. Lexa tapped an index finger on her chin in thought, then said: "I wouldn't murder for you."

"Really?" Clarke glanced at her skeptically. "Are you forgetting the incident with the Cardassian two years ago?" Clarke countered, her hand resting on the back of Lexa's neck, massaging the worn muscle and tendon there.

Lexa frowned, then the corner of her mouth quirked. "Okay, you've got me there." She conceded, and she closed her eyes as Clarke continued the ministrations on her neck and shoulders.

They existed in this easy, peaceful quiet, with Lexa relaxing completely as Clarke's other hand moved to stroke her cheek gently, tracing the scar that began on her right temple and continued diagonally down her left cheekbone, ending at the corner of her jaw. Lexa tensed at her touch there, but then what fingers began, lips continued the journey, soothing the old wound with a loving, reverent adoration as she admired the evidence of Lexa's love for Clarke.

"How was your day at the office?" Clarke asked quietly, breaking the wordless, peaceful air between them. Lexa sighed at the mention of it, and the tension that had begun dissipating at her neck and shoulders seemed to return with a passionate fury.

"I swear if I have to sit through another tribunal about some pig-headed cadet without the slightest shred of common sense I'm going to drive Jaha's gavel through my temple." She huffed.

"You big baby." Clarke said in mock sympathy, though she did give Lexa a feather-light kiss on the lips. "I told you not to take that promotion." Lexa only growled in annoyance, her eyes opening to meet Clarke's teasing gaze.

"Don't even go there," Lexa countered, "You were just complaining about your mother's overbearing attitude at the hospital yesterday." Clarke pinched the skin on Lexa's neck lightly, delivering her best disapproving frown.

"Please don't talk about my mother right now." She groaned, and she shuffled to rest her forehead against Lexa's collarbone. Lexa let out a hoarse chuckle.

"Lexa 1, Clarke 0." One of her hands vacated their customary position on Clarke's waist and pumped a fist in the air in victory. Despite herself, Clarke chuckled at her wife's playful attitude.

"It is not 1-nothing, I had won at least 3 rounds of this before you just scored a meager one point." Clarke argued teasingly, her lips brushing the skin at Lexa's sternum as she spoke.

Lexa blew the air from between her lips noisily, and she rolled them both so that she was hovering above Clarke, fixing her with an imperious gaze. "Clarke, are you challenging my reputation as an honest person?" She asked in a serious tone. Clarke saw right through it though, and the grin on her face only widened.

"Yup, what are you gonna do about it, punk?" Clarke tilted her chin upward in a challenging motion, and Lexa fought hard to maintain a serious expression. The blonde's hair was splayed out haphazardly on the pillow, the lights of the neighboring buildings illuminating the mischievous smirk on her face and the twitching of her nose in amusement. She was breathtaking, and she was Lexa's, just as much as Lexa was powerless as she met Clarke's playful blue eyes.

"Guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson." She finally murmured, and Clarke's eyes only shone brighter at the declaration of war.

"I hope you brought your A-game Admiral Woods, I haven't been taught anything in _ages_." She flirted, winking at the woman whose face only hovered centimeters above her own. Lexa rolled her eyes at the comment, dipping down to connect their lips.

When she pulled away slightly, Lexa cocked an eyebrow at her. "Don't exaggerate, it hasn't been ages."

"Lexa, please, it's been days since we've even, you know," Clarke wiggled both eyebrows. "And especially with Tris's new sleep schedule-"

"Okay fine." Lexa said, resigned as she knew that she simply would not win this battle. Instead, she concerned herself with her current situation, with the placement of her hands, which drifted down to the waistband of Clarke's underwear, finding her wife more than ready.

* * *

Lexa watched with amusement as Raven held Tris up to her face, inspecting her with squinting brown eyes as she stood stock-still in the middle of the living room. The engineering officer seemed to be looking at the baby as a curator would an old historical artifact, as if searching for the slightest sign of imperfection. Raven even held her delicately, as if she was unsure, afraid she would damage the child that she held between her two mortal hands.

"Raven, are you done manhandling my grandchild?" Abby asked from her seat at the dining table. Octavia and Lincoln at Abby's side of the table, while across from the trio were Anya and Bellamy. Lexa occupied the third seat, while Echo and Costia occupied the leather couch awaiting their turn to fawn over the six-month-old baby.

"Mom, you were just holding her for the past two hours." Clarke said as she returned from the kitchen island, handing Abby the glass of wine the older woman had requested.

"Yes, but that's because she's the fruit of my fruit, and she's adorable." Abby sniffed. Lexa, who sat across from her mother-in-law, smiled at the metaphor, while her wife cringed in opposition.

"Fruit of my fruit?" She repeated almost disbelievingly as she reclaimed her spot beside Lexa, who casually draped her arm over the back of Clarke's chair.

"Yes." Abby affirmed, and Clarke just sighed, leaning against Lexa's shoulder in defeat.

"I think that's a great title." Octavia piped up with a shit-eating grin, and Lexa knew that her wife was fighting the urge to flip off the other woman. Lexa placed a calming hand on Clarke's thigh, and the blonde visibly relaxed. Clarke smiled tenderly at Lexa and peppered the brunette's jaw with two hasty kisses.

"Octavia, stop starting fights you won't win, especially now." Lincoln reprimanded her casually in his long-suffering tone.

"I'm pregnant, not dead." Octavia huffed, and Lexa chuckled.

"Yea sis, listen to your husband, you don't want to unintentionally hurt my little nephew." Bellamy added placatingly, a gleeful expression plastered on his face even as he spoke of his soon-to-be-coming kin. Octavia's irate gaze swiveled to her brother, and she cracked the knuckles of her left hand menacingly.

"You know what, maybe you should shove it up your –"

"Okay!" Lexa intervened loudly, though her green eyes glittered with amusement at the exchange. "Why don't we all take it down a notch, try not to upset my girl." Octavia grunted in acknowledgement, and instead leaned back against her chair, with Lincoln kissing her cheek in a soothing manner.

Anya decided to speak up then, and she turned to Clarke. "So how are things at the hospital? Must be quite the change of scenery since the promotion." The blonde smiled and nodded, also willing to change the subject.

"Yes, I guess it is." She grinned at Anya. "But then again, being head of trauma only brings you up once floor in the building."

"And closer to me." Abby added, and Lexa coughed into her fist as she felt Clarke's posture tense up minutely and her hand dropped down to grip the brunette tightly on the leg. The action did not catch the attention of the rest of the group, but Lexa gave a low whine of pain that certainly had Lincoln flit up to her face in question. She shook her head ever so slightly, and he directed his gaze away to Abby once more.

"So what is your title, now that Clarke has taken over trauma?" Anya turned to Abby with interest.

"Chief of Surgery." Abby stated casually. "It was only a matter of time until I got the job." She said nonchalantly.

"And no one is more deserving of it." Lexa commented casually, through gritted teeth as she attempted to pry Clarke's hand off of her thigh.

"Hey, Admiral hot-shot!" Echo's good-natured voice cut through the tension at the dining table, with all gazes directed to the living room where the woman held Tris out towards her parents. "Tris needs to be changed." She announced with all the pomp that came typically with royalty or old money.

The dramatics certainly had Lexa and Anya rolling their eyes, but before Clarke pushed up from her chair, Costia stood from the couch. "It's okay, let me." She offered, and when Lexa shot her friend a grateful look, Costia did well on her suggestion, taking Tris from Echo's outstretched arms.

Raven and Echo made their way back to their previously abandoned chairs at the table while Costia disappeared into the nursery, and Clarke settled back against Lexa's warm shoulder.

"I forget that she's already done this several times." Echo said conversationally as she reached out to take a gulp of her beer.

"Well she's certainly much more comfortable around small children than you and Raven are." Clarke agreed, and Lexa nodded.

"Yup, Costia's basically been here ever since we brought Tris home." Lexa confirmed. "She's the godmother, she's got to be familiar with this by now, and if not, we might be looking for a replacement." She added jokingly, and Clarke nudged her on the ribs with an elbow.

"Yea I'm still pissed about that appointment." Anya interjected, though her voice had a line of teasing as she crossed her arms in mock-anger.

"You don't even like children." Lincoln snorted, and Anya cracked a smile.

"Fine, you raise a valid point." She stretched out her arms to the sky, yawning. "Well, look at that," She gestured out towards the dark night sky. When they had all arrived it had been midday. "Guess I should be going, got a lecture to teach bright and early tomorrow."

"We should probably head home too." Lincoln added, standing from his chair and shuffling to Octavia's side, in preparation to aid her in rising. "This one gets cranky when she doesn't have a full nine-hours." He reported in a teasing voice.

"You're going to pay for that later." Octavia warned him, though she took his offered hand anyway as she stood, struggling around the swell of her belly.

* * *

Abby, Bellamy, and Raven later joined the others in the journey home, though theirs were much later, after assisting Clarke and Lexa in cleaning up. Meanwhile Echo had wandered off to the nursery to check on Costia and the baby.

Clarke finally sat down at the couch, exhausted from all the company. Echo and Costia played with Tris a few meters away, having pushed the ottoman out of the way. Lexa joined her a few minutes later after seeing off Abby, then Bellamy and Raven.

Abby had kissed Tris on the forehead, then her own daughter before she left. "I'll see you at work next week hon." She said, and Clarke had nodded stiffly. At the conclusion of their conversation, Lexa had walked Abby to the door, and as they stood at the threshold Abby had turned to the younger woman.

"I assume you remember our conversation in the hospital," She began, and at Lexa's nod, she resumed her sentence, "Then in light of your recent parenthood, do you understand now?"

"I think I understood years ago." Lexa answered quietly, her hands in her pockets as she met Abby's gaze. Abby stared long and hard at her for a few passing heartbeats, and then finally she nodded at the steadfastness, of the steely gaze that met hers evenly.

"I never liked you when you first started up with Clarke, but now," Abby paused, glancing towards the living room where her daughter laughed at Costia and Echo's antics as they made Tris giggle with elation. "Now, I think you might be the only one who was ever worthy of my daughter." She offered the younger woman a small, tentative smile, which Lexa returned.

"Thank you Abby." Lexa held out her hand for the woman to shake, but she was surprised when Abby moved forward and embraced her. It was not a bone-crushing hug, nor was it a friendly, warm embrace either. Rather, it was light, cautious, and when the other woman moved away, Lexa accepted it and nodded.

"Goodbye Lexa." Abby said before turning on her heel, exiting as quietly as she had first came.

"Well that's an interesting development." Bellamy said at Lexa's left. She chuckled and nodded.

"Yes it is." She turned to him. "Are you heading out now then?"

"Yup, Raven's raring to get home." Lexa grinned as she glanced at the man.

"You know, I still don't get how she's with you." She commented, and he punched her on the shoulder.

"Hey, I am attractive you know."

"A man who is confident in his physical appearance would never have to defend themselves." Lexa jibed, and Bellamy rolled his eyes.

"Okay smart-ass." He said gruffly, though he could not stifle the grin tugging at his lips. It was at that moment that Raven walked up behind him, jabbing him hard in the small of his back.

"Hey dork, ready to go?" Bellamy scowled, but then she kissed his cheek, and he glanced sheepishly at Lexa, mollified. The brunette, who stood leaning against the walls of the hallway, chuckled.

"Get out of here you two, and get a room that isn't mine." She quipped, and no sooner had those words been loosed from her jaw had the couple bolted from the apartment with an electricity and an urgency that left little to the imagination.

Lexa shook her head, closing the door with a click before she made her way back to the living room. She collapsed next to Clarke on the couch, leaning against her wife with a loud exhalation.

Tris, who had been lying prostrate on her back, giggling as Costia rolled a small replica of a Hyundai Veloster up and down her stomach, caught sight of her mother. Both of her chubby arms reached out in the air towards Lexa, making grabbing movements with her little hands.

"Aww she wants her mom!" Echo said, her voice high-pitched in excitement. She fixed Clarke with a teasing gaze. "She didn't do that to you when you sat down."

"Shut up." Clarke said good-naturedly, running her hands through tangled strands of blonde hair. "Besides, she knows Lexa will let her do whatever she wants." She added in an almost disapproving tone as her wife moved from the couch to join the other two women and her daughter on the hardwood floor.

"That's not true." Lexa protested as she tickled the child on her stomach with light fingers. She knew the instant the words flew from her mouth that her defense was in vain, and Echo confirmed it.

"Please girl, you're whipped!" She cackled, and Costia and Clarke joined in her laughter while Lexa made a face. Instead, the brunette looked down at her daughter and bopped her gently on the nose.

"Don't pay attention to the present company princess, they're nuts!" She said to Tris, who giggled.

"Nope, don't listen to your mom." Costia interjected. "Lex, even before Tris was born you were whipped." She dipped her chin towards Clarke. "Except it was to blondie over here."

Clarke chuckled at the expression of mock-outrage on Lexa's face, and she couldn't bear it anymore; she was not quite sure if it was the hormones talking, but her loving, doting wife was getting more and more attractive by the second, and she just had to pounce. She shuffled forward from the couch and kissed Lexa heatedly on the lips, then again, taking her bottom lip between her teeth and nipping it before the brunette could even react.

When she finally shifted backwards, Lexa's eyes were shut as she reveled in the feel of Clarke's lips on hers, frozen in place at the sudden loss of contact. When she definitively seemed to come to her senses, with her eyes still closed, Lexa announced: "Costia, Echo, please go on a walk, and take Tris with you." She said in a low, lust-filled voice.

Echo and Costia were already scrambling to their feet, with Costia scooping up the child in a mad frenzy to avoid seeing what carnal acts were about to take place.

They had only just skirted it, for as the door closed loudly, Clarke had already freed herself of her clothes, feverish hands reaching out to Lexa to help her do the same.


	12. Chapter 12

Lexa scratched under her chin as she sat in her chair. Her eyes were fixed on the woman sitting on the other side of the desk, insolent and rebellious eyes glaring back at her. Lexa sighed, her hands clasping together and resting on the desk.

"Do you want to tell me exactly what happened?" She rasped, and Octavia crossed her arms, her chin tilted upwards roguishly.

"I did my job." She grunted, her voice low with anger, her green eyes flashing with eerie reminder of a time when she had been younger, more insolent and hot-tempered.

"I heard you openly defied the prime directive." Lexa countered, and she leaned forward so that her elbows were now propped as she faced her former lieutenant.

"I saved the lives of all my crew members by doing what I did." Octavia stated with conviction, her lips set in a thin line of stubbornness.

"You mean by opening fire on a Cardassian ship, completely undercutting the entire mission statement of Starfleet?" Lexa smirked despite the seriousness of the situation. She could see the outrage shining in her friend's eyes as she spoke.

"If we had gone into warp then we would have left five of our crew behind, I stayed behind and fought to save my family." Octavia argued. She uncrossed her arms and stood to make her point. It was bold, what she had done, and Lexa had noted such observation as the woman walked right up to the desk.

"Sometimes victory stands on the back of sacrifice." The Admiral offered, and Octavia shook her head.

"Or victory can be achieved without any lives being lost." The younger woman placed her hands flat on the desk as she glared at Lexa.

"This time." Lexa stated in a deceptively calm manner. "Yet you seem to operate with the assumption that you can get away with anything, and that the rules don't apply to you. And you've managed to succeed in the past few missions on what it is; luck. But how about when your luck runs out?" The fight in Octavia's eyes dimmed slightly, but then they seemed to light up again.

"Well then there will be another alternative, there always is." Lexa sighed, then leaned back on her chair as she met the determined gaze of the now-captain of the Washington, and she could not be prouder despite the foolhardy and albeit borderline homicidal actions of this woman.

She pushed back her chair and stood, taking two steps up to the window overlooking the busy streets in the mid-afternoon sun. She simply looked outside, her eyes examining the silver towers, the gleaming ocean, the cloudless sky. Behind her, she heard Octavia huff loudly, and Lexa smiled in frustration.

"Your patience has clearly not improved in your time commanding my ship." Lexa threw the comment over her shoulder before finally turning to face her irate officer. "And as for what you have done, you will face two weeks of suspension." Lexa crossed her arms. "Jaha and the other Admirals decided before I could interject in your defense."

"But Admiral-" Octavia started, her face scrunching up with outrage as Lexa threw up a hand cut her off.

"Enough!" Lexa's eyes flashed with aggravation now, "You could have started a war among Federation members, thankfully it hasn't come to that, but as it is, you have done irreparable damage, and it seems you don't realize that." The admiral walked up to Octavia, and she shook her head. "They've given the Washington back to me Octavia."

"What?" Octavia sputtered in outrage, and before she could say anything Lexa shook her head again.

"You have displayed utter and blatant disregard for Starfleet protocol, risked the lives of your entire crew, and almost completely destroyed any and all hope of a new planet joining the Federation." Lexa said in a low voice. "And, of all people, you are a mother now." She hissed with added emphasis. "You can't go out and make all these bad choices. You have a two year-old son, Robert, waiting for you at home, and you seek to go out and stick your foot into every trap you see."

"Lexa," Octavia began, but again Lexa did not allow her to speak.

"There is nothing I can do about the decision of the other Admirals." Lexa snapped. "You're facing two weeks suspension, and on your return you will report to me as my first officer." At those words, Octavia's face fell considerably, yet there was a flash of relief.

"So, I'm only being demoted?" She asked, and Lexa nodded briefly.

"Luna made a case for you, as a favor to me." Lexa explained shortly, and she clasped her hands behind her back. "Get out of here, you're suspended until the 13th, go spend that time with your son." She said dismissively, and Octavia clamped her mouth shut, knowing she would not win if she lingered. Instead, the now-first officer dipped her head respectfully to Lexa and made leave.

Once the door had closed, leaving Lexa alone in the office, the Admiral sat at her chair. Even as she had received the orders from Jaha and Kane, Lexa had felt a sense of foreboding. The notion of going out to deep space had been exhilarating once. Yet now, as she glanced up at the brilliant blue sky, she only thought of what she would be leaving behind.

* * *

Her steps were clipped as she strode across the Starfleet HQ hallway while heading to a tribunal. She heard her name being called, and Lexa turned her head to the sound of the voice.

"Admiral Kane." She greeted cordially, her eyes blinking to acknowledge him as he walked up to her. The higher-ranking officer smiled in greeting, though the gesture did not reach his dark brown eyes.

"Admiral Woods, may we talk in private for a few minutes?" He asked, and Lexa blinked and glanced down at her watch quickly.

"A few minutes only." She warned him, and at her affirmation Kane gestured for her to follow him to a secluded section of the hall.

Once they came to a stop at their destination, Lexa turned to raise an eyebrow at the other admiral. "So what is the matter Kane?"

The man rubbed his palms together, and he refused to meet her gaze for a second before finally flitting up to her green eyes. "There is a situation with the Romulans." He said shortly, and both of Lexa's eyebrows rose high on her forehead.

"What situation?"

"One of their representatives, Cage Wallace, had threatened five days ago that if we did not surrender a particular Romulan prisoner to their custody, he would send operatives to capture citizens of the Federation to barter release, or to execute, one by one." He said, and he swallowed thickly as he told this to Lexa.

"Okay." She said, digesting the information. She frowned, and then she crossed her arms as she met his gaze with a cold, detached expression. "So then what is your course of action?"

"Before we could retaliate or send a negotiator, it was discovered early this morning that Romulan troopers have broken into a splattering of homes in San Francisco and took prisoners back to their warship."

"Shit." Lexa breathed, and she closed her eyes, a hand coming up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Exactly what I said." Kane commented. "But you're probably going to have an even more…emotional response to what I'm going to say next." Lexa opened her eyes to glare at him, daring him to go on, and he did. "One of the prisoners taken aboard their ship was Abigail Griffin."

At that information, Lexa openly groaned, and she leaned against the stone column behind her, a hand covering her face. "For the love of God." She growled. She shook her head and glared daggers at Kane. "So how do you plan on recovering the prisoners?" She asked, to which Kane gulped visibly under the weight of her annoyed, icy gaze.

"A rescue mission, led by you of course, with the Washington." He proposed, and Lexa let loose a short humorless laugh at the suggestion.

"By me, again." She said bluntly, and at his nod, she narrowed her eyes. "I've been grounded for two years Kane, what makes you think I'm still the most qualified to execute a mission in such dire circumstances?"

"Because you simply are the most qualified." Kane argued, and he crossed his arms. "You have the necessary combat experience, an excellent crew manning the Washington-"

"Had." Lexa cut him off. " _Had_ an excellent crew." She mirrored his pose, crossing her arms across her chest protectively. "Most of the crew members that worked with me are now teaching at the Academy or retired." She snorted. "You seem to have forgotten the day and age of this current time."

"Not all." Kane countered. "Commander Strong is still active, and so are Lieutenants Frost and Green." Lexa scoffed, and she scuffed the heel of her boot on the floor.

"That's only three out of 203 crew members that I regarded as family nearly three years ago." Lexa said.

"Well that hardly matters." Kane stated. "You are still an experienced, veteran officer who has almost never failed in the missions that have been given to you. I want you to rescue our people Admiral; no one else is as well-versed as you are in turning no-win scenarios around."

She sighed, and then smirked slightly. "That was only because my crew was just as ingenious as I was." Lexa ran a hand over her temple, rubbing it nervously. "If you want me to do this, I assume a trade between our people and the Romulans' is non-negotiable?"

"Not at all." Kane confirmed her suspicion. "The Romulan we're holding right now is a very dangerous war lord who would declare a multi-planetary war the instant he is released."

"That's comforting." Lexa grunted, and turned on her heel, walking away from Kane even as he called for her to stop. "You really scraped the bottom of the barrel this time Kane." She shouted over her shoulder before disappearing into the swarm of Starfleet personnel in the hallway.

* * *

"You're doing what?" Clarke's gaze bore furiously into Lexa's back as the other woman fiddled with the laces of her shoes, untying them in a laboriously slow manner. Her actions were careful and calculated, all an attempt to avoid meeting Clarke's eyes.

Lexa shouldered out of her Starfleet uniform top, leaving her standing in the middle of the hallway in a dark t-shirt as she relieved herself of the heavy woolen material. Clarke was standing a few meters away from her, her hands at her hips.

"It's just a small-scale mission." Lexa said offhandedly, but that did nothing to lessen the flames, but rather it was fuel to the fire that was Clarke.

"It's a rescue mission that involves beaming onto a ship filled with Romulan insurgents!" Clarke snapped, her eyes alit with fury. "It's basically a suicide mission!"

Lexa sighed, and then, with her uniform top in hand, she inched past Clarke and moved over to the kitchen. She opened a cabinet, retrieving a bottle of scotch and a glass. Lexa did not say a word as she poured the amber liquid into the glass, lifting it to her lips and taking a healthy swig.

In that time, Clarke had positioned herself on the other side of the kitchen island, watching as Lexa finished her drink. It had been a long day for both women; Clarke had just completed a ten-hour surgery, while Lexa had to sit through five hours of an exceedingly boring tribunal and six hours spent holed up in her office finishing paperwork.

Tris had already been put to bed by Clarke, an hour before Lexa had finally come home. It was this moment however, that Lexa had been dreading for the rest of the day since Kane had confronted her that afternoon.

By the time the last drop of scotch had been consumed, Lexa put the glass down with a definitive clink and finally met Clarke's eyes. "It has to be done." She said slowly. "No one else is available or experienced enough to handle a situation like this."

"How about Lincoln? Or anyone else?" Clarke asked, her hands planted on the surface of the kitchen island as she glared at her wife.

"Kane, along with the other admirals, are insisting that I am the only one with the qualifications to lead the mission." Lexa explained, her voice quiet and low as she repeated what Kane had just said to her mere hours ago.

"There are many other officers in Starfleet!" Clarke snarled. "Hundreds, if not thousands." The blonde threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "For God's sake why does it have to be you?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly with the force of her question.

Lexa exhaled heavily, her shoulders sagging as she leaned her elbows against the marble island-top. She felt that detached mask that she wore so many times in the past slipping now as she gazed into the earnest, angry appearance of her wife. "Because I must." She responded, after a heartbeat of silence.

Clarke glared at her, then she huffed with anger, running her hands through her hair. "You realize that you have more than just me to leave behind, right?" She said sharply, and Lexa nodded jerkily.

"I know." She exhaled, her fingers toying with the empty glass. Lexa frowned as she looked at Clarke carefully. "I know what I'm at risk to lose, Clarke." There was a line of anger running in her voice. "I did not choose this."

"Then do something, please." Clarke said, a note of pleading heard as she moved around the kitchen island, coming to stand next to Lexa. "Stay." Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears, and Lexa had to look away, unable to see the torment that her actions were causing Clarke.

"You know I can't." Lexa said finally, and she turned her head to face Clarke, her green eyes dim and defeated. "All I want is to stay, to watch our daughter grow tall and strong." A hand reached out to stroke the hard edge of Lexa's jaw. She leaned into the touch, her own hand cupping Clarke's. Gently, she shifted her head ever so slightly so that she kissed the palm of her wife's hand lovingly.

"Lexa-" Clarke started, a quiet sob tearing at her throat. Before she could say much else, Lexa turned so that her hips were parallel to the blonde's. The distance between them was a gaping reminder of what was being discussed, and Lexa hardly had the courage or the daring to bridge it.

"It is a suicide mission." Lexa confirmed quietly. "And by all accounts, I might die." Lexa took the hand that still rested against her cheek, holding it between her own firmly. "But with every single breath that leaves my body, I will try to return to our family." She lifted their entwined hands to her lips, brushing them over Clarke's knuckles gently.

Clarke's gaze dropped down to the ground, their positions reversed now as it was Clarke who did not want to meet the fiercely proud eyes of her wife. She shuffled forward slightly, her palm resting flat against the left side of Lexa's chest, feeling the strong, steady beating of her heart underneath the muscle and bone. "I had hoped that when you were promoted, we would have closed this chapter of our life together." Clarke said, a watery chuckle leaving her lips.

Lexa frowned slightly. "What chapter?"

"The one where you are always out there trying to get killed." Clarke said, and she shook her head, as she stared at her wife, standing tall and at the height of her prime, her eyes shining with wit and a certain regal air.

"I'm sorry." Lexa sighed then, her head bowing minutely. "You understand why I'm doing this?" Clarke nodded, yet Lexa continued speaking anyway. "The Romulans are a threat to the safety of Earth, and by proxy, your life, and the life of our daughter." She placed a hand on Clarke's hipbone. "If I can somehow prevent all this, I will."

"I know." Clarke murmured, shifting forward until their hips were pressing against each other. She gently tilted Lexa's chin with a hand, so that their faces were inches away. Then Lexa moved forward, kissing her softly, briefly. Their lips formed a bridge between their bodies, and eventually the hand at Lexa's hip moved lower, and what was initially a placating, resigned kiss became a passionate, heated union of tongues and teeth.

When Clarke finally broke off the kiss, jerking away slightly, she shook her head. "I should have known that this domesticity would never have lasted." She breathed.

Lexa could offer no words of comfort; she had also thought the same, of mornings with Clarke and Tris eating together, of coming home to her family after a long day at work, and she knew. She kissed Clarke gently on the forehead, and the blonde leaned against the contact, breathing through a clenched jaw and pinched nostrils, before finally straightening her posture.

"Lexa Woods, you come back to me." Clarke said sternly, pulling away a few inches so she could see the entirety of Lexa's face, fixing her with a firm, unmoving glare. The brunette returned the gaze, taking in the sight before her – the curve of Clarke's eyelashes, the freckles on her cheekbones, the firm line of her mouth, her soft lips, the strength coiled within blue eyes – before she finally nodded.

"I will."


	13. Chapter 13

The dark vacuum of space was not a pretty sight, with its unrelenting power and vastness so great it could swallow anything and everything in its path. Yet of its few redeeming qualities, the most essential one was for that it bore the existence of life within each small, glittering sphere. Earth and Vulcan seemed to shine particularly bright on any day, and Lexa observed the glorious wonder of this chartered, yet woefully unfamiliar expanse through the glass windows of the Washington.

They were hovering near the rings of Saturn, having tracked the Romulan warship to this location. Not five minutes after they had come out of warp, Echo had found the ship hanging on the other side of Saturn. It was not long after that Lexa formed a plan, and after consulting with her officers, the crew of the USS Washington was scurrying to make the necessary preparations.

It was with great reluctance that Lexa had recalled several of her former crew members to return yesterday, and she had been surprised when most – if not all – had returned. She only wondered, as she prepared for a three-person rescue mission, whether she was leading her crew – her family – to their deaths.

"I never thought I would see this again." Lexa mused as her green eyes perused the blackness before her. Anya, who stood at her side as they armed themselves with phasers and short-range photon grenades, chuckled.

"Yea I forgot that you had been happy with retirement." Anya teased, and Lexa grinned, shoving the other woman lightly with her elbow.

"Oh shove it." She said, her eyes alit with mischief despite the danger of the mission overhanging them. "You resigned and began teaching only days after I got promoted." Anya shrugged, admitting defeat.

"True, but I do have a few more years under my belt."

"That is true." Lexa agreed as she tightened the straps of her shoulder holsters. The officers worked on assembling their gear, and then Lexa broke the comfortable silence. "I'm actually quite surprised that you agreed to do this."

The older woman, who buckled her knife around her thigh, sighed, lifting gaze to meet Lexa's. "I was too." She said. Her long fingers worked on the straps of belt, and then continued. "But then I remembered that I've always fought by your side in every mission we've ever done." She smiled wryly. "It would be bad luck not to continue that tradition."

Lexa returned the other woman's smile, and she walked over to Anya, holding out one hand. The other woman grasped it tightly, and Lexa pulled her in for a strong, bone-crushing embrace. When they parted, Lexa clasped Anya's shoulder tightly. "We started together, let's end together." Lexa said, and Anya nodded in approval.

"Our last mission." She hummed, and she squeezed the hand that still held Lexa's muscled palm. "Besides, Clarke would kill me if you did this all alone."

Lexa laughed and she flashed Anya a sheepish grin. "Yea, she can be pretty stubborn."

"She's protective of you, and I think I might have grown to like her more." Anya joked, and Lexa punched her on the bicep.

"Hey!" Both women turned to the sound at the door, Echo standing there waiting. "If you guys are done being super sentimental, we've got some prisoners to rescue." Echo crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway of the equipment room with a casual smirk.

"Okay, keep it in your pants." Anya walked up to Echo and pushed her by the shoulder, upending her balanced lean against the metal threshold.

Lexa just shook her head and followed the older woman. As she walked past Echo, she tapped her knuckles against the younger officer's bicep. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Echo answered, and Lexa nodded briefly.

"You've got more experience doing missions now, I hope I can keep up." Lexa quipped, and Echo chortled as they started down the hallway to the beaming pads.

"Please, carrying out borderline suicidal operations is your thing, I'd hate to steal your thunder." Echo joked, and Lexa laughed.

"No, Echo." She stopped and turned to face Echo. "I've been at this for eight years." She rubbed the back of her neck, and she glanced at the toes of her boots before she said her next words. "It's about time the younger people took the reins." She reached out and gripped Echo's shoulder firmly. "After this mission, I'm going to officially resign from Starfleet."

Echo's eyes widened in astonishment, her jaw dropping. When she seemed to recover from her shock, her mouth opened and closed, then her wits seemed to have collected. "Wait, really? What are you going to do then?"

"I don't know," Lexa grinned. "But it doesn't matter, as long as it keeps the soles of my boots rooted to the same soil that my daughter treads on, I won't mind what I'm to do."

"Wow." Echo said lowly. Then she moved forward, wrapping her arms around Lexa. She withdrew and looked at her longtime-friend. "Who knew you'd give up all this?" She gestured with an open hand to the ship, to the gaping openness of space.

"I wouldn't have predicted this either." Lexa said, and the sides of her eyes crinkled as she smiled again. "But more recently, I realized that the urge I had, to go out and discover, it was really because of a desire to find a home. And I've finally found it, and it's Clarke and our child."

Echo returned her smile, and she reached out and squeezed Lexa's hand gently. "Then let's get you home."

* * *

Once Lexa beamed onto the Romulan ship, phaser in hand, it was like slipping into a skin long lost, a suit of armor that she had inevitably forgotten in three years of having her feet planted firmly on the Earth's surface. It was the adrenalin, the racing of her heart as she crouched in the cargo hold. She was ready, prepared, her limbs buzzing with a nervous excitement. Echo and Anya appeared at her side within seconds, and she acknowledged their presence with a slight dip of the head as she scanned the premises.

"Admiral, their cameras should be down now." Lincoln reported. "Their communications and transmission systems are jammed so you guys should be clear."

"Good work, stand by." Lexa stated before tapping the badge on her uniform, silencing the comm.

"So, the second level of the ship is where the prisoners are likely being held." Anya said in a hushed tone.

"Likely?" Lexa frowned, and Anya rolled her eyes.

"We won't know until we go up there and scan for heat signatures, but from the blueprints it is most likely that they would be held there." Lexa thought before finally making up her mind.

"Okay, where's the closest elevator access?" Anya looked down at the blueprints that she had uploaded on her hand-held tablet.

"It should be through the doors on the west side and down the hall to your left." She informed her, and Lexa hummed.

"Alright." She tapped the side of her phaser. "I'll take point." Lexa moved from her crouched position.

"I'll cover you." Echo whispered to Lexa, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. Lexa nodded, her finger hovering over the trigger of her phaser. Quietly, Lexa slunk through the empty hold, making to the other side of the room. She signaled for Echo and Anya to join her seconds later, and together they moved to the door, stopping just short of the threshold.

Lexa peered through, scanning either side of the hall before moving to the left, the other two hot on her heels. They had made it to the end of the hall when Lexa caught sight of movement at the corner of her eye, and immediately she fired. The Romulan collapsed with a dull thud, and Anya instantly shuffled forward and dragged the body out of sight.

"Over here!" Echo hissed, and she beckoned towards the elevator doors. Anya and Lexa hurried to join the younger woman. The doors opened with a low hum, and the three clambered in. Once the two doors opened on the second floor, Lexa instantly saw a Romulan who had been approaching the lift.

Before she could even lift her own weapon, a knife was spinning through the air with a hiss, piercing the Romulan in the center of the chest. The guard hardly made so much as a whimper as he fell on his back from the force of the blow, dead.

The body of the Romulan was immediately spirited away by Echo and Anya, and Lexa took the time to examine the hallway before them. About 300 meters ahead, the hallway split into two different paths, and Lexa glanced at Anya, who was already pulling out the heat scanner from her belt. "The heat signatures indicate that the prisoners should be right at the end of that hall." Anya reported in a hushed voice, pointing to the path on the right.

Lexa hummed, and she pressed her badge. "Costia, you guys ready?"

"Affirmative Admiral." The officer said, and Lexa tapped on her badge again. She raised one hand and gestured to her companions, and they moved silently to the indicated path.

Eventually, they came upon the door, and Anya checked the device once more before nodding to Lexa. The admiral dipped her head to Echo, and the officer stepped up to the door, pulling out small tools to disable the locking mechanisms.

It was without much difficulty that Echo managed to unlock the door, and the instant Lexa stepped into the room, she caught sight of four guards sitting around a table at one end of the room. Lexa shot two of them, with Echo and Anya dealing with the rest.

"Lexa!" At the sound of the familiar voice, the admiral turned her head to the other side of the room, and she instantly saw Abby.

The woman was standing with twelve other humans in a large cell, and there was astonishment flashing in her eyes. Before she could say anything else, the captain put an index finger over her lips to indicate silence, and Echo slipped over to the door, working on the lock.

Lexa walked up, and she looked over each prisoner. They were virtually untouched and unmarred, which brought great relief to her racing mind. She nodded to Abby in a calming gesture before turning her back to them, watching the door in case the guards had caught on to their presence.

"Got it!" Echo announced, and the locking mechanism clicked simultaneously with her exclamation. One by one, the prisoners filed out, and Lexa made her way over to Abby, briefly resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and Abby nodded, putting a hand on Lexa's forearm.

"I'm fine." She said, and she tightened her hold on her daughter-in-law's arm. "I'm surprised you're the one to rescue us though."

"Kane pulled my name out of a hat." Lexa explained jokingly. "Clarke wasn't very happy about it, nor was I." Abby frowned, but then her attention shifted to something behind Lexa's shoulder, and the captain spun around.

The door opened with a clang, and Lexa raised her phaser, putting down the Romulan before he could fire at her, the shock at seeing the prisoners out of their cell still evident on his face as he collapsed.

"We have to move, now!" Lexa said, and she signaled to Echo, who had been checking on the others. "Echo, watch the back." She ordered, and Abby was at her shoulder then.

"Why can't we just beam up to the ship from here?" The older woman questioned, and Lexa did not bother turning her head to face her.

"We can't," She gestured to the materials lining the walls. "You can't beam in or out of this room. Our only option is to go back the way we came."

"And where is that?" Abby asked, and Lexa walked over to the fallen guard, crouching as she collected his phaser in her free hand.

"The cargo hold." Lexa said shortly. "And as I said, we need to move." She rose to her feet and strode over to the door. Then she felt Abby's iron-grip on her forearm.

"Wait, you need to rescue the others." Abby hissed, and Lexa turned to her with raised eyebrows.

"Others? Kane told me Wallace's men had only captured twelve of our people." Her eyes scanned the crowd again, and she nodded. "There's twelve."

"No," Abby said urgently, "They also have a group of Vulcans, they shared this cell block with us until a few hours ago." Lexa's brain scrambled at the new information.

"Hey, what's the hold-up?" Anya walked over to them, an anxious gleam in her eyes. "We've got to scram." Lexa waved her hand dismissively to the woman.

"Do you know where they're being held?" She asked Abby. "And how many are there?" Lexa added in afterthought.

"There are five of them, and they were being taken up to level five, to Cage for questioning, from what I overheard." Abby tilted her chin towards the corpses of Romulan guards piled together in the corner of the room.

Lexa rubbed her chin, and Anya looked at her questioningly. "Lexa, what's going on?"

"They have a couple Vulcans captive." She replied in a brisk tone. Anya's brown eyes widened in an almost comical fashion – if the context was not so dire, Lexa would have likely laughed at the other woman's expense.

"What's your plan?" Anya asked, and Lexa clenched her jaw uncomfortably.

"The directive was to rescue the twelve." She dipped her chin to Anya. "We're moving." Lexa turned to the group, seeing each anxious, fearful face. This was what she had come for.

"But Lexa-" Abby's eyes were filled with shock and outrage. Lexa cut her off with a sharp look.

"I'll deal with it, you focus on getting out of here." She snapped, her temper starting to unravel. Instead, Lexa gestured for Anya to take the rear of the group before counting each human again.

Her eyes met Echo's, and once the other woman blinked in understanding, the latter moved cautiously to the door. Echo pressed the button and the door opened seamlessly, and she craned her neck out the open doorway. It was clear. She turned back to Lexa, Anya, and the others and nodded.

Lexa moved to take the lead, stepping out with the prisoners in single-file behind her as she led them back to the cargo hull. Once her eyes had appraised the room, ensuring that it was still empty, Lexa beckoned with her right hand, and one-by-one the rest of the group entered the room.

Once Anya had made it through the door, Lexa stood at the threshold. "Costia, we're ready." She said.

"We're going to have to beam them up six at a time." Costia informed Lexa. "The beaming pad isn't big enough."

"Got you, just hurry." Lexa grunted, her eyes never leaving the other end of the hallway. She shifted uncomfortably, her senses heightened as she listened for any movement. Echo was with one of the more elderly prisoners, helping them struggle through the doorway to join the others.

Anya stood on the other side of the threshold facing Lexa, and the first six prisoners disappeared as they were beamed up to the Washington.

"Every second we're still here we become larger targets." Anya said nervously, voicing Lexa's fear and the admiral made no sign of having heard her, besides her nose twitching slightly.

"We've got them." Costia commented, "Taking the next six up now." Lexa glanced back, and she saw Echo and the other six disappear.

"Well there's nothing we can do about it." Lexa murmured through clenched teeth. Then she heard heavy boots rushing down the other end of the hall, then she saw them. There were ten Romulans that rounded the corner, and instantly she fired with both weapons.

Four of the green-skinned humanoids fell to the ground instantly, and she felt the air whoosh next to her as Anya fired into the mass of bodies moving towards them.

"What happened to Lincoln keeping them occupied?" Anya remarked, and Lexa rolled her eyes, not bothering to reply as she shot at them. Then Lexa heard a cry of pain, and she turned momentarily, and caught sight of Anya. Lexa's blood ran cold through her veins at what she saw.

The other officer had collapsed to the ground, a wound gaping at her abdomen. Anya pressed a forearm over the injury weakly, and Lexa frantically shot at the incoming onslaught of bodies before rushing over to the other woman. She grabbed her around the shoulders, hauling her up and pushing her through the door.

"Move!" She shouted at Anya, nudging her into the cargo hold. Lexa redirected her attention to the Romulans, and she removed a grenade from her belt, flinging in their direction before she jumped into the room, just barely avoiding the blast. The smoke cleared, and Lexa peered out. She had made out five still standing when she had thrown the charge, and all she saw of them were mangled parts.

Lexa hummed and she turned to Anya, who was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, a hand covering the wound. "Hey, stay with me." Lexa knelt at her side, and she patted her cheek. Anya opened her eyes blearily, and she gazed at Lexa with brown orbs glazed over in pain.

"Costia, beam Anya up!" Lexa said into her comm.

"Working on it!" The comm crackled as Costia strove to lock onto their positions. "Okay I've got her."

"Wait," Anya gasped, her hand suddenly wound around Lexa's forearm. Lexa frowned at her.

"Anya, you have to go." She said urgently, and the woman shook her head.

"You, you have to come with-" She said through hissed teeth, and Lexa nodded. "Don't be," Anya gasped, and Lexa knew what she was going to say.

"Don't be a Vulcan, I know." Lexa grinned slightly despite herself. "I'll be right behind you." Lexa promised, and she pried Anya's already tiring fingers from her arm. "Costia, take her up." At her words, she watched as Anya disappeared before her eyes.

"Got her Lexa." Costia confirmed. "You're next."

"No." Lexa stated firmly, rising to her feet.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Costia questioned, an edge of concern peppering her voice.

"I have to rescue the Vulcans." Lexa explained shortly, and she took off at a run, racing down the hallway, past the bodies strewn along the floor.

"You're what?" Costia practically screeched, and Lexa did not stop. Her legs cut a clear path straight to the elevator, and as the doors opened, she saw five Romulan soldiers. Lexa fired at them quickly, and the minute their bodies dropped, she leapt aboard the elevator, shoving one unfortunate body out of the metal box.

"Cos, take care of Anya for me." Lexa said as she pressed the button for the fifth level. She did not hear Costia's next words, because with a quick tap, she had cut off the transmission. She stood there, calming her racing heart as she waited, and when the doors finally snapped open, she was immediately beset with phaser fire.

Lexa ducked behind one side of the elevator, and she unclipped another grenade, and with practiced ease, threw it into the group of Romulans firing at her. There was a scream, and then seconds after the sound of the explosion, Lexa leapt out of the elevator. Her feet skimmed the floor as she raced past the dead or gravely wounded Romulans, her eyes and ears listening and observing for her.

As she neared the corner of the hall, she collided hard into a guard. And not just any guard, Lexa realized as she ran her gaze over him. It was Emerson, Wallace's right hand. They both landed hard, and before she could gather her senses, Emerson suddenly had his hands on her throat. He seemed to recognize her as well, and his eyes gleamed with a sadistic glee. She struggled desperately, her legs kicking furiously at his back, yet he seemed unaffected, and he began to giggle, making her skin crawl.

Then her hands found purchase around the hilt of the dagger at the Romulan's hip, and with a powerful thrust, she stabbed Emerson under the chin and up through his skull. She felt the tip of the blade graze his eyeball, and as he was screaming in agony, she used her other hand to land a hard punch on the soft cartilage of his throat.

Lexa untangled herself from him, staggering to her feet, and as her assailant fell to the ground screaming, she used the heel of her boot to silence him permanently. Her throat felt sore, but she barely paid attention to it, and she continued in her search of the Vulcans, continuing in her quick stride down the hall.

She heard voices as she rushed past a few doors, and when she neared the one that seemed to emit the sounds, Lexa fired her phaser at the lock, blasting it open.

Cage Wallace was standing in the middle of the room, a phaser trained on a female Vulcan. His head swung in the direction of the door, and once he saw who had entered, he grinned.

"Lexa Woods, how pleasant." His voice was oily and riddled with contempt, and Lexa glared at him, her phaser raised at his head.

"Cage, put the weapon down." She ordered in a low, rasping voice. The other four Vulcans were chained to the wall, their brown eyes hardly betraying any sign of fear, though Lexa knew that emotion was there.

Cage laughed, a terrible, snarling sound that made Lexa almost cringe. She didn't. "You really think that I'm that afraid of you, that I will listen to what you say?"

"You're outnumbered, and your ship's crew is all but dead." Lexa snapped in a cold, scathing voice. "Release my people, or die."

"Or this lovely little lady gets her brains blown out." Cage suggested, and he tapped his fingers on the phaser, toying with the trigger.

"Cage, this is my last warning," Lexa growled, "Let her go." Cage met the icy force of her gaze, and then in an instant, he shoved the Vulcan in front of Lexa's line of fire.

Lexa reached out and caught the Vulcan before she fell, but as she did, Cage bolted out the now unblocked doorway. Lexa checked the woman, who looked up gratefully at the Starfleet officer.

"Thank you." She gasped, and Lexa nodded before she helped her to her feet quickly. Then she moved forward and released the other four Vulcans. Once the task was completed, Lexa handed each of them a weapon to defend themselves.

"Do any of you know a closer area to beam off this ship?" Lexa asked them, and one of the males nodded.

"The hangar bay on the south side of this level." He said, and she clenched her jaw.

"Alright, then that's where we're headed." She gestured with her shoulder and the Vulcans followed her out. She turned to the male who had spoken up. "Lead the way, I'll be right behind you." She said, and at her command, the Vulcan started moving, leading the progression down the hall.

Once they had made it to the hangar, Lexa turned on her communications again. "Costia, I've got them, beam us up."

"Good, alright, locking on your location now." Costia said. Just then, a bedraggled but still alive group of insurgents rushed at them from the west entrance of the hangar bay.

"Hurry up!" Lexa shouted to Costia, and she fired at the incoming Romulans. The Vulcans strove to assist her in keeping the Romulans at bay, and Lexa had fired off a few more shots before she felt the beaming effect initialize, and as she departed the hostile ship, all she saw were the furious expressions written upon the Romulan's faces as they attempted to snatch at her as she was spirited away.

She landed lightly on the beaming pads, her feet touching the bottom of the floor firmly. Echo suddenly materialized at her shoulder, giving Lexa a questioning gaze. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy." Lexa said dryly and she groaned loudly as she got to her feet. "But I think I'm through with near-death experiences, thank you very much."

"You're telling me." Echo snorted, and Lexa chuckled. She took a deep breath, feeling her lungs fill with air, and her body thrumming with energy. She was alive, and her relief at still being here, standing, breathing, crashed over her like a tidal wave.

She ran her hands through her messy ponytail, striving to fix the tangled brown strands of hair. She tapped her badge. "Cos, how's Anya?" She asked as she stepped off of the pad.

"She's stable, she'll make it." She reported. Then there was a commotion, and Caris was rushing into the room.

"Admiral, we need you on the bridge!" She exclaimed breathlessly, and Lexa immediately scrambled off on tired legs to the bridge.

Once she entered, she saw Lincoln standing before the captain's chair, shouting orders at the officers at the helm of the ship.

"Lincoln, what's the problem?" She asked as she walked up to him. He whirled around in surprise.

"The Romulans are beginning to fire on Earth, they've already taken out a few buildings in downtown San Francisco." He explained. Lexa's blood ran cold; Clarke and Tris were in danger.

"Then fire on their ship." She snapped, "Either they retreat or they die, I don't care. They're not destroying one more building."

"But Lexa, what if we tried for diplomacy, we are after all-"

"I don't give a fuck about diplomacy Lincoln, do you want your family to die?" She growled. Lexa turned her head to the officer at the helm. "Fire our heavy-weight torpedoes, now!"

"Lexa," Lincoln started, "Is this the best way to handle things?"

"It is the most logical option." She snapped, at the last thread of her patience, her desperation to protect her family the only thought in her mind. "Now go do your job and blast that ship out of existence." She moved over to the captain's chair and sat, and at once Lincoln hastened to follow her orders.

"Their shields have been disabled, firing on the ship now." Lincoln informed her seconds later, and she nodded.

The entire ship shook then, and Lexa gripped tightly to her chair. The Romulans, were unsurprisingly, firing back.

"Our warp capabilities have been destroyed!" Caris shouted, and the ship was rocked with another blast. Lexa gritted her teeth.

"Just keep firing!" She commanded the officer. "Everyone strap in!" Lexa added, securing her own belt over her shoulders.

Then there was an explosion, and Lexa's eyes widened as the entire Romulan ship disintegrated before them. The darkness that was space lit up for seconds before it swallowed the blinding energy, and within a blink of an eye, it returned to its former state, unscathed and eerily silent once more.

Lexa stared for a few more heartbeats, and then she rested her head on the back of the chair with a loud sigh, her eyes closing. Then, Echo let out a whooping cheer, and Lincoln and the others joined in loudly.

Hands were on her shoulder, and as she opened her eyes she looked up into the face of her trusted first officer. "We did it!" Lincoln cried cheerily, and Lexa finally allowed the victory that they had just achieved to wash over her, and she released a chuckle.

* * *

Once her foot touched the first step of the metal stairs, Lexa felt relief and contentment wash over her entire being. Then her eyes sought out the instinctive blonde hair of her wife, and she found her within seconds. Without paying mind to her stinging, tired limbs, Lexa ran down the rest of the steps and rushed to her.

Clarke was standing right in the front of the crowd of Washington personnel family members, and as Lexa rushed over to her, the blonde felt all the weight of her fears flee from her shoulders.

They met in a flurry of limbs, and then Lexa had enveloped Clarke in her arms. In pure, unadulterated love and passion for this woman, Lexa clasped her arms around her wife's waist and swung them around and around in circles. Clarke laughed her arms wrapping tightly around Lexa's neck as she partook in this innocent, silly act, and when Lexa stopped, when Clarke's feet were on the ground again, Clarke leaned forward and captured Lexa's lips with her own.

In this kiss, Clarke scolded Lexa, she reprimanded her for leaving. Then she also affirmed her affection, her fondness, proclaiming her love for the brunette and telling her to never leave again, and Lexa understood and accepted all of it.

When they finally broke away, their foreheads resting against each other in union, Clarke, her face wet with tears, said: "Don't ever do that again." And Lexa agreed; she agreed with gentle hands cupping Clarke's face and all the kisses that brushed away and absorbed each tear drop with adoration.

Then there was a tug on her shirt, and Lexa, with a smile looked down to meet her daughter. "Mom!" Tris squealed delightedly, and Lexa released a booming chuckle as she bent down, scooping up the tiny human in her arms.

"Hey you." Lexa greeted her, and she dropped a fond kiss on Tris's forehead. Clarke's arm slid around Lexa's waist, and the brunette smiled. Clarke kissed Lexa's cheek, and then at sight of her mother walking down the steps of the shuttle, Clarke departed to greet her.

Lexa followed her wife slowly, with an excitable and giggling Tris in her arms. Abby had her arms wrapped around Clarke, whispering in her ear, and then her eyes locked onto Tris.

"Come here." Abby beckoned to Tris, whom Lexa gently deposited to the ground. Immediately, the three-year old rushed towards her grandmother.

Lexa observed all of this with a satisfied hum, and as Clarke rejoined her with an arm hung around her waist, she smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

The night air was crisp, a gentle wind wafting through the open windows and blowing the white curtains. In the middle of the room on the bed, two bare figures lay entwined, surging together in the heat of passion.

Lexa groaned loudly, her wife's name hot on her lips and whispered through a slackened jaw. Her hips rolled up to meet Clarke's thrusts, hands gripping tightly to her wife's waist as she worked diligently to bring her closer and closer to the edge.

Then Clarke's lips moved down from her neck to her collarbone, then to lavish some attention to her breasts, and Lexa felt something inside her snap. Her entire body shuddered, her thighs twitching as Clarke's skilled fingers brought her into a climatic release, then a warm mouth and a gentle tongue soothed the descent from ecstasy. The blonde moved up, her tongue making its way up to Lexa's navel before returning once more to her previous position between her wife's legs.

When she had finally caught her breath, Lexa chuckled throatily. "I believe marrying you was the most logical decision I've ever made in my life."

The blonde, whose cheek rested on her pelvis and whose fingers drew tender circles on her inner thigh, laughed. "Is this the Vulcan side of you talking again?"

"It seems so." Lexa laughed, and she reached out to run her fingers through the mop of blonde hair that fanned out along her hip.

"It's been a while since I've crossed paths with it, where've you been all this time?"

"I fell in love with the most beautiful, intelligent, extraordinary woman in the entire universe. And by allowing me to love her, and in returning my love, you have broken the dam that is my emotions."

"That's a skilled tongue you've got there, careful, I might request its services for other activities." Clarke slowly kissed her way to Lexa's chest, leaving a trail of desire in her wake as she finally came to rest her chin on her wife's sternum.

"Then you will find my tongue, in addition to the rest of my body, ready and willing." Lexa winked.

"Are you sure you're Vulcan?" Clarke raised an eyebrow, a hand stroking Lexa's cheek. "It's exceedingly difficult to believe that a race so aloof can give birth to my wife, an eloquent, witty, and charming woman."

"I am only _quarter_ Vulcan." Lexa reminded her, a hand coming to rest on the plane of Clarke's back as she lay nestled above her, their bodies flushed together and the swell of Clarke's breasts pressing against her own.

"Hmmm." Clarke murmured as she tilted her chin, leaving a kiss on the skin of Lexa's chest, then drifting up to return to her neck. As she met the skin there, she felt her wife swallowing thickly, her arousal beginning to dampen the skin on her hipbone. She continued kissing along her neck, a hand drifting down Lexa's sternum, teasingly close to an area that she knew - after nineteen years of marriage - was a weak spot.

"Round...three?" Clarke asked, and Lexa just pulled her closer to her, as if wanting to absorb her.

"I've lost count." Clarke laughed into the crook of Lexa's neck, and when she finally lifted her head to meet her eyes, there was a glint in her eyes.

"You've lost count because I'm amazing. And because I'm marvelous at what I do, and I do you." She winked, and Lexa could not stifle the grin that formed even as she heard that line.

"I'll give you something to marvel at." And suddenly Lexa surged forward, and amidst a flurry of limbs and tangled sheets, Clarke now found herself looking up at her green-eyed wife.

Before she could even react to the sudden change in position, Lexa was nipping at her collarbone, fingers digging into her sides, causing her to spasm in the midst of her involuntary fit of giggles.

"Lexa! We're." Clarke gasped in between her giggles. "Going to bother Tris."

"Whatever, its 2am, she's probably still awake listening to music, she won't hear a thing." Lexa reassured her, but even so, her fingers ceased their current activity. Instead, they splayed out to worship and map the skin beneath them, one hand moving lower until Clarke was gasping for an entirely different reason.

Lexa grinned cheekily, and she set out to continue the act, her experienced fingers reaching, touching, thrusting, until her wife's back arched and her skin was flushed red. Clarke's spine arched upwards, her abdomen in constant contact with Lexa's as she rode out the waves of her pleasure, moaning as quietly as she could.

When Clarke's spine relaxed once more, Lexa reconnected their lips, and they kissed, their tongues bridging the two bodies as they moved in tandem. Then Lexa slowly removed her fingers, and with a self-satisfied smirk, she collapsed next to her wife.

Clarke chuckled lightly at the look on Lexa's face, then she sighed with contentment. Her fingers sifted through brunette strands, her head propped up on one elbow as she gazed upon the love of her life. Lexa's hands curled around Clarke's hips, holding her in place. The blonde's fingers brushed her cheek, feeling soft skin and sharp bones.

Then a kiss was dropped to Lexa's temple, and the brunette hummed at the touch, her eyes closing. After a good ten minutes had passed, Clarke decided to venture into a new topic. "So, want to hear something?"

Lexa chuckled. "What?" She opened one eye, and Clarke seemed to be raring to tell her.

"Guess who's dating our daughter?" Lexa opened both eyes, and she frowned.

"It better not be that prick from her Ethics class." Lexa snorted, and Clarke smirked. She shifted closer, so that her hips pressed against Lexa's side.

"It's Bobby."

"Bobby?" Lexa cocked her head to one side in thought. "Which Bobby?"

"Bobby Blake." Lexa sat up instantly, swinging her legs over to the side of the bed. Clarke remained resting on her side, dropping her head onto the pillow to give her elbow a much-needed respite.

"Robert Blake? Lincoln and Octavia's son?" Her eyebrows were raised in disbelief, and her wife nodded, a smile playing at her lips.

"Yea, they just started dating a few weeks ago." Clarke informed her wife, a hand reaching to rub Lexa's bare back.

Lexa shifted, but just as she attempted to move any farther, strong arms captured her midsection. "And where are you going?" Clarke whispered the question over warm skin, her lips now brushing her wife's shoulder.

"Out."

"Out where." Lexa turned to face Clarke, frowning at her.

"Where do you think?" The brunette grunted, and the arms around her body only tightened.

"Lexa Woods you are not going to threaten that boy." Clarke warned her. She rested her forehead between Lexa's shoulder blades, experienced fingers trailing low from her wife's waist, heading south.

It was an attempt to distract her, and it worked, for a few moments. However, as Lexa was about to relax completely into Clarke's arms, the tips of her nipples teasing the expanse of her back, she seemed to jolt out of her momentary lapse. It was the fingers moving skillfully down to feel her that did the trick, because Lexa's eyes snapped open.

She jolted from the bed, leaving Clarke sitting there with a noticeable pout splayed over her features. Lexa stood before the bed with her hands on her hips, their silent conversation spanning heartbeats before Clarke conceded.

With a sigh, the blonde fell back onto the bed, giving Lexa a full view of all the different places she wanted to touch, to kiss. "If you must," Clarke groaned, "At least make it quick."

"I'll be back in thirty minutes," Lexa said, bending over to give Clarke a chaste kiss on the cheek, "tops." She was already buckling up her pants and almost out the bedroom door when she heard her wife's cheeky voice calling after her.

"We'll decide on positions when you come back."

* * *

"Stop fidgeting and let me fix this!" Clarke said in mild frustration. She was currently standing behind her daughter, her hands clasping at the collar of Tris's red uniform.

Lexa, who sat on a stool at the kitchen island drinking the rest of her coffee, simply watched with an amused expression.

"Mom you don't have to baby me, I can fix it myself." Tris grumbled.

The little child that Lexa had cradled over twenty years ago now stood tall and proud before her, in the middle of the exact same living room that she had spent hours lulling her to sleep. Except now Tris was the same height as Lexa, with sharp blue eyes, an angular face, and nimble, elegant steps. For but one glance, Tris was the spitting image of Lexa if not for the eye color.

Yet Lexa saw Clarke in her. She saw Clarke in the minute pinching of her nose when she was frustrated, in the stubbornness of her child. She also saw a caring, loving heart and brown hair streaked with blonde, and Lexa saw love. She saw what she and Clarke had produced, and all she saw was a beautiful, smart young woman who had fulfilled all of their hopes and dreams, and more.

It was very difficult to believe that the small, giggling seven pound newborn that Lexa had held and rocked by firelight was now this ethereal, regal creature that stood before her. She was a lioness.

"Honey?" The term of endearment brought Lexa out from the depths of her thoughts, and her previously clouded eyes now looked up in the direction of her wife.

"Yes love?" She glanced between her daughter and her wife, both of them with their hands on their hips, a mirror image that made Lexa almost chuckle. It was still the uniform issue, except it had now progressed to the positioning of the medals on the breast of the red material.

"Tell Tris that I am more than aware of Starfleet uniform regulations." Clarke stated, looking at Lexa expectantly.

"Mom, I know what I'm doing," Tris said, a defiant look in her eye as she waited on her mother's words.

Lexa's eyes flitted from one woman to the other, then she cleared her throat. "Tris, in her day, Clarke was a brilliant captain of Starfleet," She began. Clarke's appearance was already beginning to look smug, and then Lexa smirked. "But she wasn't exactly a by-the-book officer, and that was in her time." Lexa offered Tris a smile. "I'm sure you know what you are doing."

Tris raised a fist in the air, a victorious woop tearing from her throat. Clarke however, was now glowering at Lexa, and Lexa knew she was going to pay for that.

Luckily for her, the doorbell chimed, and Lexa bolted from her seat to answer it.

"Lexa!" Abby greeted her daughter-in-law with a brisk hug before she was welcomed in. She gravitated instantly to her granddaughter, a proud smile on her face.

"Mom, glad you could make it." Clarke stepped over to wrap her mother in a warm embrace. Things between them had defrosted considerably, mostly thanks to Tris. Lexa honestly was just pleased that she wasn't the mediator between two snarling lionesses any longer. No, that position was delegated to the younger creature of the same breed.

Tris had wandered over to Lexa, who had reclaimed her stool. Her daughter leaned against her, and Lexa tugged her close in a one-armed hug. "I'm so nervous." Her daughter admitted quietly, and Lexa squeezed her waist gently.

"It's natural to be." Lexa remarked. "You're quite young, younger than your mother and I were when we first started." She tucked a strand of blonde-brown hair from her daughter's face. "But you are ready." Lexa nodded reassuringly, and Tris seemed to stand taller at her words.

"We should go now, don't want to be late!" Abby urged, beckoning at the doorway. Lexa squeezed Tris's waist once more before she extricated herself from her mother's arms, moving to join her grandmother.

"Bobby's waiting downstairs." Abby said as she draped an arm over Tris's shoulder, guiding her out the threshold of the apartment. "He was saying how excited and proud he was for you."

"Yea he better be nothing but supportive!" Lexa called in the direction of their retreating forms, and Tris turned her head to scowl at her mother's teasing words.

Then the two women were gone, leaving Lexa sitting alone on her stool. Then Clarke moved, and her hands were sliding into Lexa's and she was pulling the brunette to her feet. "You okay there?" She prodded, her blue eyes twinkled with proud tears that threatened to fall.

"She's all grown up." was all Lexa managed to say, and Clarke enveloped her in steady arms then.

"I know." Lexa rested her chin on Clarke's shoulder, sighing.

"I guess there is one consolation to this though." She finally said.

"What's that?" Clarke leaned back so that she could see her wife's eyes.

"She'll be the captain of the newly modified USS _Washington_." Lexa shot her a shit-eating grin. "Not the Ark, which also got rechristened, but the Washington." She lingered on that last word for emphasis.

"You're a butthead."

"I'm your butthead."

Clarke shook her head, a laugh escaping as she simply pulled Lexa into her arms once more.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Lexa watched with a practiced eye as the modified and updated Washington began to shift forward from the dock. Beside her, Clarke also observed all this, their hands gripped tightly.

They watched with proud gazes from the station as their daughter and her crew positioned the ship outwards, towards the vastness of space. With a flaring of its engines, the Washington powered up, and then in a flash, it disappeared from sight.

Lexa stood in the empty station with Clarke, and with their hands entwined, they observed the black canvas set before them.


End file.
